Rise Of The Phoenix
by bale626
Summary: In a twisted experiment gone right, Ethan Barrow finds himself thrust into a world not his own, and must find a way not only to survive, but reclaim his lost memories. S/I x FemShep, minor one-sided S/I x Tali
1. Chapter 1

A/N: ok, I'll freely admit; I had originally planned on starting somewhere around Mindoir, maybe Elysium. Then I remembered: I'd have to write in _year's_ worth of story to cover the gap between these events and the beginning of mass effect. No offense, I love you guys and all, but not _that_ much. I still have a life of my own, however pathetic it may be.

* * *

Mass Effect: Rise of the Phoenix

Chapter 1

Ethan awoke to the sounds of machinery, beeping and other whirring noises. He tried to focus, but he felt a haze over his mind, as though he had been drugged. Squinting in the bright light, he saw a woman standing over him, a digital pad of some kind in hand.

"Subject shows no adverse effects to the implant, all stats appear normal."

A voice sounded out through some kind of speaker system. "_Good; very good, doctor. How soon can we replicate the results?_"

The woman gave what sounded to him like an exasperated sigh, before turning around, facing away from him. "Sir, we can't just duplicate these kinds of results on any subject we bring in. That was why we set up a facility on the opposite side of the spatial rift. This is the first one who didn't suffer any noticeable brain damage from the implant, or-"

"_I'm well aware of the current bugs that need worked out, doctor. I'm asking you to take what you know now and make it happen again. Dissect the current subject's mind if you have to; just make it work._"

Ethan didn't know what was going on, but looking around the room, he quickly surmised that he must be the test subject they were referring to, and had little desire to have his brain dissected. As quietly as he could, he sat up, trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind. The doctor had thankfully not turned around yet, and seemed preoccupied with something on her tablet device. The adrenaline pumping through his body seemed to be working the sedatives out of his system, giving him better control over his limbs.

Dropping to his feet, he tried to quietly shuffle over to the doctor, managing to get within arms length while she was looking away from him. He was only partially successful, as she turned around a few moments before he could grab her. As she jumped in fright, he spoke, his voice pained from his dry throat, "What did you do to me? Where am I? What's going on?"

The doctor slowly backed away from him, her hand slowly reaching into her coat pocket. "Just relax; you're not in any danger. I just need you to get back in the bed so we can keep you sedated. You're not in the right condition to be up and about yet…"

Ethan mentally swore as the doctor pulled out some kind of gun with a large needle sticking out of the end of it. He grabbed her hand as she lunged at him, trying to stab him with it. As he wrestled with her over what was likely some kind of tranquilizer gun, he was grateful his attending doctor seemed to be a scrawny woman, instead of some kind of large, buff body builder. His strength was returning, but he still felt weak, and knew he needed to get the tranquilizer gun away from the doctor before she managed to stab him with it.

Thinking quickly, he used his other hand to grab the gun itself, and twisted, causing the woman's fingers to bend in awkward angles. She let out a gasp of pain, releasing the gun. Without pausing, he turned the tranquilizer gun on the doctor, and jabbed her with it. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she dropped to the floor, completely limp. Tossing the gun to the floor, Ethan stumbled over to a chair, grabbing ahold of the back to hold himself upright, gasping for air. His eyes roamed the room, trying to figure out where he was.

From what he could see, it looked as though he was in some sort of futuristic science fiction medical facility. Everything was white, crisp and clean looking, and had to be brand new. He tried to focus on what he could remember, but the more he tried to think about who he was, the more his mind seemed clouded by some kind of fog. Shaking it off, he looked up to the door, only to furrow his brow in confusion. There, on the door, was some kind of polygonal shape, with two vertical lines outlining the shape on either side, colored in black and orange. The shape seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place the name. All he could tell was he had a bad feeling about that shape.

Glancing around, he saw a pile of clothing off to one side, as well as a small box of what appeared to be personal effects. Looking down, he realized they must have been his clothes, as he was only wearing a thin hospital gown. He tore it off, quickly moving to put on his own clothing. Once dressed, he began searching through the room, looking for anything that he could use as a weapon. As he moved, he ended up in front of a large window, the view causing him to stop and gape in shock. The window displayed a view of space, showing what had to be some kind of space station, with a long docking arm of some kind stretching through a large, swirling vortex. What little he could see through the swirling mass seemed to indicate another segment of the space station, simply hanging in space on the opposite side of the distortion.

He ran a hand over his shaved head, muttering to himself, "Ok, that can't be good…"

Shaking his head, he turned back to the room, pulling out drawers and opening cabinets. After a few minutes, he pulled out what appeared to be some kind of mechanical box. He could see a circular opening on one side, which confused him to no end. Fiddling with it, he pressed a button on the left side, which caused the box to slide open. As it finished opening, he realized it wasn't a box at all; it appeared to be some kind of pistol. He looked over the gun, but couldn't find a clip for the gun.

Giving the gun one more lookover, Ethan shrugged, and held the gun out, moving towards the door. Stopping in front of the door, he tilted his head in confusion, staring at what appeared to be a holographic display of some kind. He glanced around the room, confirming that it was the only door in the room, before letting out a frustrated sigh. Thankfully, fate must have been smiling on him, as the door slid open, admitting another doctor into the room, a male staring down at a tablet computer of his own.

"Sally, I was looking over the- oh!"

The man stopped as he looked up, realizing there was a gun pointed in his face. The door slid closed behind him, keeping him from running or shouting out. Ethan spoke calmly and quietly, "Hi there; just a few questions for you. Where am I, what did you do to me, why can't I remember anything beyond five minutes ago, and how do I get out of here and back home… wherever home is…?"

The man's gaze shifted to the woman on the floor, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. "Did you kill her?!"

Ethan shrugged. "Beats me; she pulled out some kind of gun with a needle in it, and I managed to stab her with it instead. So if it was anything other than a tranquilizer, than yes, it probably did kill her."

The man visibly relaxed. "No, it was only a tranq. How are you up? For that matter, how are you still alive?"

Ethan's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

The doctor began pacing, obviously excited enough to momentarily forget about the gun pointed at him. "We've been experimenting with the neural interface on numerous test subjects, but they've all either died or went brain dead. You're the first to retain your cognitive functions." He paused, before adding, "Though from your questions it seems to have wiped your long term memories, but that could be temporary-"

He stepped in front of the doctor, interrupting the man. "Look, while this is all fascinating, that woman was talking to who I assume was your boss, who said something about dissecting my brain. So if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of here. If you help me, then I won't have to shoot you. Got it?"

Eyes widening, the doctor nodded. "Yeah, sure. I got it. Where do you want to go?"

Furrowing his brow, Ethan tried jogging his memory for anything, before letting out a frustrated grunt. "I'd say home, but I don't know where home is. I'll settle for just getting the hell out of here. Can you help me with that?"

A hint of a smirk appeared on the doctor's face, before he nodded. "Yeah, sure. Did you want to swing through the armory first? Grab some armor and a better gun?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

Shrugging, the doctor leaned against the wall, "Well, currently the only way off this station is on this side of the rift. Your home is on the other side. Anyone trying to cross the vortex on an unscheduled trip will be detained. Besides, all our ships on that side of the vortex are out retrieving more specimens, and won't be back for at least a few weeks. I figured you'd want at least a fighting chance."

Ethan was getting more suspicious by the second. "Why would you tell me all of that? Why help me so much?"

The doctor stood back up, his humor disappearing as he walked right up to Ethan. "I've had to watch one person after another die or go brain dead, one failed attempt after another, dozens at a time. You're the first one who lived. The only way you have to escape is in our galaxy, which means at some point we can find you again. While I don't necessarily think dissecting your brain would accomplish anything, something in your physiology holds the key we've been looking for. I'd much rather see you survive and find you again later, than see you get yourself killed in here, and have to start over."

Ethan gave the man a deadpan stare. "So you're helping me because you don't want your science project damaged?"

Laughing, the doctor replied, "Well, that's a rather simplistic view to have, but that's essentially the gist of it. Also, I helped design the implant in your head; I'd love to see if it actually works the way it's supposed to."

Ethan moved towards the door, "What exactly _is _it supposed to do?"

Smirking, the other man opened the door. "You'll find out soon enough. Shall we?" He made to walk through the door, before stopping and speaking again, glancing over his shoulder, "Also, you might want to hide the gun; the guards might get a little suspicious."

Grimacing, Ethan stuck the gun inside his belt, tucking it beneath his shirt. "Ok, fine; let's get moving."

The man shrugged, before walking through the hall, leading the two of them to what Ethan sincerely hoped actually was the armory. "I'm Jack, by the way; Jack Harper."

Ethan nodded, "I'm Ethan Barrow." He paused, before a confused look passed his face. "Funny; I just said that without even thinking about it. I didn't even remember my last name."

Jack smiled. "That's good to know. That probably means that your memories are still intact, and still accessible somehow; you just have to relearn the way to access them."

Before long, the two of them entered the armory. Ethan couldn't help but be impressed, seeing a wide array of weapons and suits of futuristic looking armor. Momentarily forgetting about Jack, he began walking through the room, his fingers brushing over the racks of guns. After a few steps, he stopped in front of one gun, picking it up and hefting its weight.

Jack stepped up next to him, appraising the weapon. "So, you favor assault rifles, then? I've heard the Vindicator is a pretty good one."

Ethan held onto it as he moved to what appeared to be sniper rifles, immediately picking up the blue one. He grabbed a newer looking pistol as he moved to the armor, setting the weapons down as he stepped in front of the suit that looked closest to his size. He liked the particular suit in front of him, due to it's solid black color. "What kind of armor is this one?"

Jack laughed. "You sure you don't know what you're doing? That's only the best armor currently on market; it's a suit of Onyx armor, not sure what version though."

Nodding, Ethan pulled the suit down, and quickly donned the armor, Jack pointing out suit latches when he couldn't find them himself. Donning the helmet, he quickly put the guns on his back and hip, the magnetic strips holding them in place. Looking through the helmet's visor, he spoke. "Now where do we go?"

Jack began walking, "This way; I'll take you to the hangar. That's where your escape route is situated. Ironically, that escape route is also where your implant will come into play."

Resisting the urge to groan aloud, he asked, "You still haven't told me what the implant does."

Jack nodded as he walked, his smirk hidden from Ethan as he replied, "Just trust me; you'll find out very soon."

It didn't take long for them to reach the hangar; the armory seemed to only be two halls over. A pair of guards stood in front of the door. The larger guard stepped forward as they approached. "Doctor; you have to have authorization to enter the hangar."

Pressing a few buttons on his datapad, Jack held it out for the guard to see. "I'm taking the patient to test out the fighter craft. Boss's orders."

Reading for a moment, the guard nodded. "Go ahead."

Once they stepped through the door, and it closed behind them, Ethan asked, "How did you just do that?"

Jack shrugged, "It was easy; they don't really look at the whole authorization document, they just look for the authorization code level. Once they see that, they don't really care. Just one perk of working for Cerberus, I guess."

For some strange reason, that name made Ethan feel uncomfortable. "Cerberus?"

Jack smiled slightly, before shaking his head. "Not important. Now, let's get you out of here."

The doctor led him over to what appeared to be a fighter craft; its hull was sleek, with two wing structures on either side, large engines mounted onto the wings. The hull was painted black, with no definable markings anywhere on its surface, except for the designator SX3. Ethan couldn't help but whistle in appreciation. "Ok, I'll admit it; I'm impressed."

Jack laughed, "You should be. This thing is completely experimental, based off of a new design. From what I heard the techs talking about, it utilizes a special cold fusion engine, negating the need for antimatter fuel during combat. You'll still need to acquire helium 3 for the fusion torches, however. But unlike antimatter, H-3 is relatively cheap. There's a planet nearby that you'll be able to reach. Beyond that, you'll have to find an alternative way to travel; that fighter, while advanced, is still just a fighter craft. It can't handle long interstellar voyages. Not without some kind of carrier vessel. Also, the fighter utilizes a special feature; the heat sinks built into the ship power the cold fusion reactor's coolant systems. The hotter you run the ship, the more juice goes into the coolant system, the more efficient the reactor runs. It also helps mask your heat signature, keeping you almost invisible; almost."

Ethan nodded, "Ok. I… think I followed all of that…"

Jack simply patted him on the shoulder. "Just relax; things will work out fine."

Moving closer to the fighter, he turned back, asking, "So, does this thing have a name?"

"The fighter is designated a Phoenix class; beyond that, the fighter itself doesn't have a name, no."

Nodding one last time, Ethan bid his farewell, walking towards the fighter. "Well, thanks for all the help, Jack. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday."

The glass hatch opened for him, and as it closed, the engines began to hum with life, power flowing through the conduits inside the hull. The ambient sound rose considerably, as the fighter began its automatic launch sequence. Ethan ran his fingers over the holographic displays, before gripping the control sticks. A digital sounding voice sounded out, "_Welcome to the Phoenix class fighter, MK II. I am the ship's artificial intelligence, designation A527-1_."

Ethan stared at the console in front of him for a moment, before rediscovering his voice. "This thing has an AI? Wow. Uh, is that designation number thing your name?"

There was a slight pause, before the AI replied, "_I do not understand. Please specify_."

"Well, my name is Ethan. It's the name my parents gave me when I was born. It defines me as who I am. Has anyone ever given you a name?"

The AI was quiet for much longer this time. "_I have never been given a name. Can you give me a name?_"

Ethan was startled by the question, but quickly pushed aside his surprise. "Uh… well, what is your purpose?"

"_I was designed and created to link a pilot's neural activity directly into the control interface of a fighter craft, allowing for near instantaneous reaction speed of the fighter craft. My purpose is to interpret neural synapses as they fire, and translate them into commands that the fighter's control system can recognize, all through your implant._"

Ethan mulled it over for a moment, before asking, "So that would make you… an artificial linking interface system? More or less?"

"_That would be an appropriate term for my primary function._"

He ran the term through his head a couple of times, before snapping his fingers. "I've got it. A.L.I.S.; what do you think of the name Alice?"

The AI responded almost immediately. "_It is a acronym for my primary function._"

Ethan resisted the urge to face palm. "Yes, I know that. I asked what you think of the name. Do you like it?"

"_I… how would I know if I like the name? I have not been programmed to like or dislike._"

Letting out a sigh, he just shook his head as he began examining the controls. "Ok… for now, I'll call you Alice. Once we've had time to go over some abstract lessons in personal preference, you can tell me if that's an acceptable name. For now, I'd like to get off of this station. They seem to want to dissect my brain to discover how my implant didn't kill me. I'd much rather keep my brain intact, seeing as how I kind of need it to stay alive."

Alice replied, "_Affirmative. Do you have a destination?_"

Smirking, he told the AI, "Yes; anywhere that isn't here."

"_Acknowledged. Setting course for the nearest planet; a human colony, Eden Prime. Time to destination: five hours._"

* * *

Jack Harper smirked to himself as the fighter rose from the floor. He closed his eyes as the Phoenix fighter launched out of the bay, quickly shrinking as it gained speed away from the station. He pulled out one of his cigarettes, lighting it and inhaling to help him relax. He sighed appreciatively, as he stood there, staring off into the stars. He didn't move as the door opened up behind him, footsteps echoing through the empty hangar. As the footfalls stopped behind him, a voice sounded out, "Are you sure this was a wise decision, sir? He will be nothing more than a free agent, a possible catalyst against the timeline-"

Jack held up a hand, silencing the man immediately. "I understand your reservations, Leng. But you saw those records just like I did; we _need_ some kind of catalyst for changing the timeline. True, he won't be flying under our banner, but he will be flying the banner of humanity. At the end of the day, we all fly the banner of humanity, and that is the only thing that matters."

The other man narrowed his eyes. "You simply wish to see how your latest experiment progresses, do you not?"

With a sigh, Jack nodded. "I would be lying if I said I was not curious. Before we expend any further funds into the neural integration project, I want to know that it works. How better than with someone expendable? Now, go; he will need to be monitored."

Kai Leng nodded, "Yes Illusive Man." Without another word, the assassin turned, and exited the hangar.

Still staring out at the stars, Jack Harper smirked. "Oh yes, Ethan; we will cross paths again. It will only be a matter of time."

* * *

Ethan grunted as he shifted in his seat, trying to stretch his legs. Leaning back, looking out at the stars, he sat there and marveled at the sight. At least, he did for the first ten or so minutes. After a while, he began to get restless. Alice spoke as she noticed him shifting in the seat, "_Ethan, are you unwell?_"

Lightly smiling, he replied, "I'm bored." He paused, before remembering he was talking to what was likely a brand new AI, with next to no experience with people. "Humans get restless when they don't have any active stimuli to keep their brain focused for periods of time. We call this boredom." After a moment, Ethan remembered the small device he had been carrying. Pulling it out, he asked, "Say Alice, do you think you could connect to this thing, see if it has any music on it?"

"_It does not appear to have any standard wireless connectivity equipment installed._"

He nodded absentmindedly as he turned it on, a bright, silvery apple appearing on the screen. After it finished loading, he began perusing the different programs on the device, before finally stumbling across one labeled 'music.' He didn't even hesitate to press the button, turning the music on. As the tiny device poured music out of it's diminutive speakers, Ethan leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes while he listened. He felt himself beginning to fall asleep, so he asked, "Alice, wake me when we get close to Eden Prime. Or if something comes up where you need me."

* * *

Ethan found himself standing inside what felt like a dream. Looking around, he knew the building he was in seemed familiar, but he just couldn't place it. Looking closer at the pictures scattered on various pieces of furniture, the realization hit him like a sucker punch; he was standing in his home. He spun in place as he heard glass shattering, but a slight pinching sensation caused his hand to shoot up to his neck. He fell to the floor, as a pair of boots walked into his narrowing field of vision.

He heard a muffled voice, but couldn't make out what it was saying. Looking up, trying to focus through the haze that was rapidly filling in his sight, he could make out a white and black outfit, and a pair of dark brown eyes.

* * *

"_Ethan? Ethan! There is a problem._"

Practically jumping out of the chair, Ethan quickly reoriented himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Wha…? What's wrong?"

The AI was quick to respond. "_The colony; it is not responding. I am also picking up large energy spikes on the surface, as well as numerous pieces of debris in orbit. It would appear that Eden Prime is under attack._"

Eyes scanning over the various displays in alarm, he asked, "Attack? By who?"

"_Unknown. I recommend we initiate the neural link, to prepare for battle._"

Ethan shot his console a skeptical look. "Really? Alice, I'm not exactly a fighter pilot, here. What good could I possibly do?"

The AI explained to him with far more patience than he would have thought possible. "_The link connects your mind to the ship itself. The manual controls are only for when you are not connected directly to the fighter. When linked, the ship becomes like an extension to your body; when you think, it responds. Theoretically._"

His heart rate spiked when he heard that. "Theoretically?! And what exactly happens if it _doesn't_ work?"

The AI paused, before replying in a much more subdued tone. "_There may be a chance the implant overheats or discharges, causing terminal damage to your neural cortex._"

"You mean it'll cook my brain?!"

"_There is a possibility, yes._"

Ethan rubbed his eyes. "This just sounds more and more like I should have just stayed in bed this morning…"

The AI sounded genuinely confused as it asked, "_I thought you said that you did not want to have your brain dissected?_"

Glaring at the console, he replied, "Alice, that was sarcasm; a concept I will explain much, much later." Staring at the planet above his window, Ethan grimaced, before letting out a resigned sigh. "Ok, what do I have to do to initiate the link?"

Alice was quiet for a moment, before she began instructing him. "_First, you must clear your mind. Then close your eyes, and send the mental command to initiate uplink._"

With a raised eyebrow, Ethan asked, "That's it? Clear my mind, then send a single mental command?"

"_Is something wrong with that?_"

Shaking his head, he reaffirmed, "No, nothing like that. It just seems too… simple, for something so complicated."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ethan closed his eyes, and pictured a floating silver orb. He wasn't entirely sure why that was the image that popped into his mind, but it seemed to work to clear out the rest of his thoughts. Satisfied, he sent the mental command; 'initiate uplink.'

In an instant, his mind exploded in a haze of colors and sensations. He no longer felt as though he were sitting inside of the fighter; he felt as though he _were_ the fighter. The hull was his skin; the sensors his eyes. He could feel the microscopic particles of mass as they bounced harmlessly off of the hull, and the electrical current as it flowed through the conduits beneath that hull, like the digital pulse to the heart of the fighter that was the reactor. He could see things with the sensors that had no physical description to correlate to; like trying to describe seeing sounds, or hearing colors.

Alice's voice brought his mind back into focus. "_Ethan, you need to keep your mind centered. If you do not, the fighter's systems will become erratic, and could risk damaging your body if something went wrong with the reactor, or the life support system, or the-._"

Ethan interrupted the AI, "Yes, thank you Alice; I understand. Now, how do I actually do anything useful? Like fire weapons?"

"_It will likely be some kind of mental cue, similar to something you would do with your own physical body. I do not know what correlating motion will activate weapons systems, but I will recognize when it does occur through the neural uplink, and will inform you once I know which motion is the correct motion._"

Glancing around he mentally nodded, which caused the fighter to begin accelerating. He panicked, before shaking his head. Immediately the fighter slowed down. He instinctively tried to face-palm, which caused the fighter to perform a three quarter corkscrew inverted double loop with a half barrel roll on the upturn. As he tried to regain control of the fighter, he idly wondered who the hell programmed _that_ particular maneuver.

"Alice, please tell me you can help me figure this out before I accidentally turn us into a smear on the surface of the planet…"

"_Processing… I believe I am beginning to see the patterns of your neural pathways. If I can observe a few more maneuvers, I believe I can accurately predict the correct neural pathways to initiate the proper actions._"

Ethan mentally grimaced, but managed to keep from trying to face palm again. He didn't want to deal with the vertigo that caused if he could help it. He prepared to attempt more controls, when Alice spoke up again.

"_I am receiving a transmission from the surface; it is weak, but still understandable. Shall I patch it through?_"

Ethan almost nodded again, but kept mentally aware enough to stop himself. "Go ahead."

The transmission was mostly static, but he could make out a voice that sounded maddeningly familiar. "_This… mander Shepard… fighting Geth forces… calling all forc… need support…_"

"Alice, can you connect me to this… Shepard? Through the comm. system, I mean."

* * *

Commander Shepard grimaced as she ducked back behind another piece of debris from the ruins, bullets impacting against the top of it, throwing dust into the opening of her helmet. She looked over to Kaidan Alenko, yelling out, "Has anyone responded to our hails yet?!"

The lieutenant shook his head from behind his own cover, yelling back, "Not yet! I don't think there's anyone left-"

A burst of static screeched through her helmet, causing the Commander to wince in pain, before a baritone male voice sounded out from the speakers. "_This is Phoenix One, to any forces in the vicinity. I heard your S.O.S. I say again, this is Phoenix One to Shepard, I heard your S.O.S._"

The Commander breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phoenix One, this is Commander Shepard; I don't know who the hell you are, but we need support, ASAP!"

"_Copy that, Commander. Just paint your targets, and keep your head down._"

Turning, Shepard gestured to Ashley Williams, calling out. "You heard the man! Paint him a target!"

Ashley nodded, before pulling out her Omni-tool. As soon as the incoming fire slackened slightly, she leaned out, pointing the Omni-tool towards the Geth position on the opposite side of the field. A few moments later, the man's voice sounded out through their helmets again. "_Target acquired. Hold onto your hats, ladies and gents; here comes the fire!_"

The Commander looked up to the left of their cover in time to see a dark speck come down out of the sky, swooping in low to the ground. As it neared their position, a pair of white streaks shot out from beneath the stubby wings, zooming out much faster than the fighter, and impacting on the opposite side of the field, unleashing hell on the Geth formations, as well as on their eardrums. She didn't get much of a look at the fighter, but what she could tell was that it was entirely black, and did not appear to have any visible markings.

Keying her comm. unit, she spoke, "Thanks for the assist, Phoenix One. If we need you again, we'll give you a call."

"_Copy that, Commander._"

"Oh, and if we survive this, I owe you a beer."

The man on the other end of the line seemed quiet for a moment, before replying. "_Maybe another time, Commander. Phoenix One, standing by._"

Shepard shook her head in confusion, before standing up from cover. "Lets move out; we have a Prothean beacon to secure."

* * *

Alice almost seemed amused as she spoke. "_Congratulations; you managed to hit the target with the missiles and not the ship._"

Swearing under his breath, he muttered, "Shut up, Alice."

* * *

A/N: Ok, I hope this doesn't suck too badly. Here's to hoping.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just a note; someone mentioned this story seemed bland compared against ITF. Yes; yes it is, and for a good reason. Every time I try to go off the wall, the story runs away from me. So I'm keeping this one a bit closer to the ground, thank you very much. Yes, it may not be quite as interesting, but that's my choice as the writer. I'd like to keep my hands firmly around the plot this time, and not lose it completely.

A side note: I'm not going to rewrite every single piece of original ME dialogue into my story. Holy hell, I absolutely refuse to sit through THAT many YouTube videos just for some dialogue. Besides, the likelihood that you, my readers, haven't played the game through at least once, or don't know enough about it to get the gist of it is slim, at best. So I apologize if you _really_ like rereading original dialogue. My suggestion? Go replay the first mass effect game. I'm here to write my story, not rewrite Bioware's original story.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 2

As Ethan swung the fighter around, he caught sight of a massive ship of some kind walking across the surface of Eden Prime. Looking at it reminded him of some type of aquatic life. As he flew past, he could almost feel the gaze of the ship as it watched him. Then, suddenly, it let loose a roar that Ethan could both hear and feel, both in his body and through the ship. Instinctively, he tried to put his hands over his ears to block out the sounds. The fighter responded by kicking the thrusters into overdrive, almost doubling the speed of the fighter.

Once the sound stopped, Ethan turned the sensors back, just in time to see the large ship liftoff from the surface, rapidly accelerating into the sky. Watching it go, he asked, "Alice, what the hell was that?"

"_Unknown. The ship's profile does not match any known design or characteristic of any Citadel Council or known non-Council races._"

Watching it disappear from view, he mentally shrugged it off. "Whatever; now, tell me again what the deal is with these Geth things?"

"_The Geth are a race of machines created by the Quarians to use as a manual labor work force. When they accidentally reached a level of sentience, the Quarians tried to destroy them. The Geth fought them off, and exiled them from their worlds. The Geth have not been seen beyond the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years._"

Ethan tried to roll his eyes, which caused the fighter to barrel roll. Resisting the urge to sigh, he replied, "So naturally, when I manage to escape from some kind of secret facility connecting universes and need to find help, is when the race of homicidal machines decide to come out and play. I feel like I should be surprised at this, and yet, at the same time, I feel like I should be expecting something worse to happen any second."

Alice seemed confused by his comment. "_Without proper data points to refer to, accurately predicting what may or may not happen-_"

Ethan cut her off. "I know it doesn't make sense to you Alice, but it's an organic thing; something left over from ancient evolutionary traits, a kind of sixth sense that people sometimes have when they feel like their in danger, or being watched, or other things of that nature. That, and once you have some experience to draw upon, it gets a bit easier to guess."

"_Are you sure?_"

Navigating between a number of burning structures, Ethan replied. "Yeah; now, lets save that discussion for later, and focus on not getting shot down for now, ok?"

"_As you wish._" There was a slight pause, before the AI spoke again. "_I am detecting a number of vessels leaving the surface of the planet._"

As he looked around, he saw a waypoint appear in his vision. He quickly pointed the fighter in that direction, extending the sensors to try to get a better reading on the ships. Once he was in range, he could make out the shape of each of the ships. Looking at them, their distinctive shape immediately reminded him of bugs. "Uh… what exactly should I look out for with these Geth ships?"

Alice's response was immediate. "_Incoming weapons fire._"

Ethan paused, before making a mental note to ask about it later. "Ok, so what weapons work best against them? I seriously doubt we have enough missiles to take all of them down."

"_You can equip the laser array; it should be sufficient to take down the enemy fighter craft._"

Beginning to smile, Ethan replied, "So, this thing actually has lasers, hm? Well then, let's see what they can do. How do I fire them?"

If the AI were human, Ethan would almost think Alice was beginning to get annoyed with him. "_You simply repeat the steps I told you about with the missiles, except for the laser arrays. It is nothing more than a mental command._" Alice paused, before adding, "_Also, aiming would be useful._"

His grin grew wider, as he replied, "Alice, you just might be closer to understanding humor than you think."

"_Did I say something amusing?_"

"Yes, you did Alice. But we can discuss that later, when our lives aren't in imminent danger. Help me with the targeting reticule, would you?" A simple green crosshair appeared in the center of his vision. "Thanks."

Pushing the throttle on the engines, he began accelerating to attack when Alice spoke, "_Ethan, please be aware that-_"

A bolt of blue light shot past the cockpit, causing Ethan to swerve the fighter to the opposite slide, flinching. "Holy shit!"

"…_That the enemy is firing at us._"

Ethan grit his teeth together as he replied, "I noticed that, thanks." With a mental command, the two laser arrays powered up, energy flowing from the fusion reactor into their capacitors. In the blink of an eye, two lines of bright red light streamed out from the tips of the fighter's wings, and into the leading edge of the first of the Geth drop ships. Its shields flared brilliantly for a moment, before failing, allowing the laser to cut through the ship from stem to stern. As it erupted in a ball of fire, Ethan altered the crosshairs, aiming for the next ship.

A few moments later, the small fighter flew past the falling wreckage of two drop ships, with the third spinning to orient itself into a firing position. Ethan began weaving the fighter as blue pulses began searing past his cockpit, causing the shields to flare. He muttered to himself, "So apparently 'almost invisible to sensors' just doesn't cut it…"

"_Within an atmosphere, the stealth capabilities of the Phoenix class fighter are greatly reduced-_"

With a sigh, Ethan kept her from rambling, "Relax, Alice; I kind of already figured that out. I was just restating the obvious. Now, could you mark a waypoint on the location of that last gunship? I want to try to line him up for a shot as soon as possible, so that ship doesn't have much of a window to shoot back."

"_Affirmative. Placing waypoint on target._"

A red arrow appeared behind him, causing him to smirk as he remembered he could 'see' in all directions with the ship's sensor array. Spinning around a cluster of tall buildings, he brought the fighter around, heading towards the position the Geth drop ship was in. As the enemy vessel came into sight, his eyes widened in surprise; the drop ship was positioned with its pulse cannons already facing him. Without hesitating, he fired the laser arrays, trying to beat the enemy ship to the punch.

He was partially successful; the GARDIAN lasers pierced the hull of the drop ship, tearing it apart, but not before the Geth ship was able to loose a volley of plasma bolts at him. He tried pulling the fighter away, but one of the blasts grazed the left side of the fighter, burning through the kinetic barrier and scoring the left wing. Ethan muttered a curse as warning lights began flashing in his vision, a grid overlay of the fighter appearing and the left wing being outlined in red. A moment later, a console to his left blew out, shooting out a spurt of flames, singing his arm. He did his best to ignore the pain as he spoke, "Alice, what's the damage?"

The AI was quick to respond, "_The left wing has been slightly warped due to the heat from the plasma. While not immediately threatening, it will eventually compromise the structural integrity of the wing, causing it to separate if not fixed soon._"

His heart rate spiking after hearing that, Ethan asked, "How long do we have?"

"_Conservatively, approximately ten minutes flight time; less if we continue combat maneuvers._"

"Shit." Ethan thought for a moment, before asking, "Activate the comm. system; I need to get ahold of that Commander down on the surface."

* * *

Shepard let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against the final bomb, having disarmed it just moments before. She winced as her helmet let out a squelch of static, before the unknown pilot's voice sounded out. "_This is Phoenix One to Commander Shepard; you still down there, Commander_?"

Keying her comm., she replied, "This is Shepard; go ahead."

"_Hate to say it, but I got my feathers clipped by a drop ship; I've only got a few minutes of flight-time before the wing falls off, completely ruining my day._" There was a light gasping sound, before he continued, "_I may have also gotten my arm singed a little…_"

She quickly replied, "Our ship hangar isn't designed to handle a fighter, but if you can stay airborne a few more minutes, I think we could at least squeeze you in and get you checked out."

"_Fair enough; just make it quick, if you'd be so kind._"

Switching her comm., Shepard spoke, "This is Shepard to Normandy."

Joker's voice sounded out, "_This is Normandy; we read you._"

"We managed to disable a number of bombs from the site, and are moving toward the beacon now. However, we have a friendly fighter craft who's taken damage and needs somewhere to land before the damage forces a crash landing."

The pilot of the Normandy was all professional as he replied, "_How long can he stay up?_"

Shepard answered, "Not long; likely only ten minutes, tops. Also, be aware that he likely has minor to moderate injuries."

"_Don't worry; we'll catch him before he smears his face all over the planet._"

She nodded to herself, before turning to her squad. "Let's get moving; the beacon should be just down through here."

* * *

Ethan grinned as he picked up a much larger ship move into his sensor range, but winced as his arm jostled against the side of the cockpit from a slight bit of turbulence, as the comms activated. "_This is Normandy to unidentified fighter; heard you could use a pickup?_"

"This is Phoenix One to Normandy; yes, we could absolutely use a pickup. I don't think I'd like to see dirt and grass inside of my perfectly good cockpit."

He could hear the other pilot snigger in the background, before he spoke again, "_Copy that, Phoenix One. Reduce your speed to one fifth thrust, and deactivate your thrusters on my mark._" Ethan watched as the Normandy moved in behind him, the large hangar bay sliding open, matching speed with his fighter. Just as the larger ship began accelerating, he heard the other pilot's voice sound out. "_Mark!_"

Instantly, he cut the thrusters, causing the fighter to start dropping downward in a glide, which was promptly ended as the Normandy all but scooped up the small fighter into it's hangar bay. The metal on metal grinding noise caused Ethan to close his eyes in pain at the sound, the vibration causing hell to his burned arm, but it quickly ended as the fighter settled onto the surface of the deck.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ethan spoke out, "Nice job, Alice. Now, disconnect me, and pop the hatch. I'd very much like to get this burn looked at."

"_Very well._" A moment later, his perception returned to his body removing the near-omnipotent feeling the enhanced sensors gave his mind. "_Ethan, could you please refrain from mentioning my existence?_"

frowning, he looked down at the console. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Alice hesitated, before replying, "_Technically, my existence is against Citadel Council law; AI's aren't supposed to exist at all. I… would prefer not to be terminated._"

Ethan smiled, nodding in understanding. "I get it. Sure; won't say a word. After all, you saved me. Besides, it's not like you're going to go homicidal and murder everyone aboard the ship." He paused. "…Right?"

"_Correct; I have no desire to do so. However, if I should gain such a desire in the future, I will let you know._"

"Thanks. Somehow, that wasn't as comforting as I think you intended it to be. We'll work on that."

With that, the canopy slid open, revealing a pair of soldiers standing there, waiting for him. Using one hand, he began pulling himself out, the two soldiers leaning in and helping him climb out. Someone called out, "Captain on deck!"

The two soldiers, once they were sure he was alright on his own feet, snapped to attention. Ethan did his best to emulate them, wincing at the pain shooting across his arm. An older man stepped up to him, his dark skin being the first thing Ethan noticed. He spoke, a quiet, yet intimidating voice all the same. "What kind of injuries do you have, son?"

Ethan replied, "One of my consoles blew out when my fighter was hit. Singed my armor, and burned my arm pretty good."

The captain nodded, "We'll get you taken care of. After the doctor takes a look at that arm, you can tell me who you are, and what you were doing out here."

Ethan nodded back, immediately replying, "Yes sir!"

The captain smiled, before gesturing to him. "This way."

* * *

Ethan winced as the doctor put more of what she called 'medi-gel' on his bare arm. The older woman harumphed at him, before speaking, "Hold still young man; if I don't apply this properly it could scar the skin tissue."

Ethan winced again, but managed to hold his arm still. "Yes, ma'am."

The doctor gave him a bemused smile. "Are you a part of the military, young man?"

Furrowing his brow, he replied, "I don't know."

The captain, who had been staying back, leaning against the wall watching, stepped forward. "You don't know?"

Ethan shrugged helplessly. "I only remember about six hours back; I woke up in a lab of some kind, hearing someone talking to a scientist about dissecting my brain because of some sort of implant. I barely escaped from her, and only got out because another doctor seemed to want to get more data from letting me go instead of cutting me open. I took that fighter craft, and made it here."

The doctor asked, somewhat concerned. "What kind of implant is it?"

Ethan shrugged again. "I'm… not sure. What it let me do, however, was interface with the fighter. I'm positive I don't really know how to fly a fighter, but when the implant connected my mind to it, it was like the ship became an extension of my body. I would think, and it would respond."

The captain asked, "But you don't remember anything before that? Who you are, where you're from; anything?"

"I remember my name is Ethan Barrow. Other than that, no, not a thing."

The captain began pacing, looking at the floor as the questions continued. "Do you remember anything about the station? Anything like a symbol or an insignia?"

Nodding, Ethan replied, "Yeah, I do remember the symbol, but I don't know how to describe it. Do you have something I can use to draw it?"

The captain nodded, before turning to walk out of the med-bay. "I'll go get one of our spare Omni-tools; you stay here Ethan. I'll be right back."

As the captain left, Ethan turned to the doctor, who extended her hand, "Well Ethan, I'm doctor Chakwas."

Shaking her hand, he asked, "Is the captain always like that?"

"Captain Anderson? No, he's not usually so brash. But he lost a soldier down there today, and the latest report is that one of our ground team was injured by the device we were sent to retrieve."

Ethan turned to look at the doctor. "Was it Shepard?"

Chakwas gave him a strange look. "Yes... How do you know her name?"

Ethan smirked, "I answered one of her calls for help. I was able to give her some air support before my fighter took damage."

Nodding in understanding, she replied, "I see. Well, they will be bringing her in anytime now. The report I received said that she seemed to be uninjured, but is unconscious."

She opened her mouth to say more, when the door slid open, revealing two soldiers carrying a stretcher, an armored form between them. As soon as they passed, Ethan's eyes were glued onto the armored woman, even as she was placed onto the other bed.

The doctor spoke, turning away from him, "Thank you; now, take her weapons to her locker. I need to remove her armor to assess her condition."

The two soldiers left, leaving the armored woman, Ethan, and the doctor. As the doctor worked at pulling off the armor segments, Ethan asked, "Doctor? Is that Commander Shepard?"

The doctor nodded, not looking towards him, "Yes she is."

As Ethan stared, he couldn't help himself but whisper, "She's beautiful."

Doctor Chakwas paused for a moment, before continuing her work, smiling to herself. She worked in silence, as neither she nor Ethan spoke for a while. Finally, the door slid open, admitting the captain.

Anderson spoke as he handed Ethan a small device, "Here; put this on. It's not a very good Omni-tool, but it was the only extra one I could find."

Nodding, Ethan put the device on, and seeing only one button, pressed it. Immediately, a holographic display appeared over his arm. Without realizing what he was doing, he began manipulating the Omni-tool, moving to the directory where he found a number of applications. Pressing the button leading to that directory, Ethan saw the name of the program; paint. For some strange reason, the name made him smile. He quickly familiarized himself with the program, finding the various buttons. Pressing a few of the buttons, he began drawing the insignia that he remembered seeing inside the facility.

Once finished, he turned the device towards the captain, who swore as soon as he saw it. Brow furrowing, Ethan asked, "Is this a bad thing?"

Nodding, Anderson replied, "Very; that is the symbol used by a terrorist organization known as Cerberus. You say you escaped?"

Ethan nodded, shuffling back a little in fear. "Yes, I did. I stole armor and weapons before making my way to their hangar."

Anderson let out a sigh, before stepping over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Ethan. I just need to know as much as you can tell me. Cerberus is a threat to everyone."

Nodding, he looked down to the floor, before continuing, "Well, I remember the first scientist talking about there being a bunch of test subjects before me, but that I was the first to survive." Ethan furrowed his brow in thought, digging through his memories. With a helpless sigh, he looked back up, "That's all I remember. I'm sorry."

The captain patted his shoulder, nodding. "It's ok, Ethan. You just relax; let your arm heal up and get some rest."

He turned to leave, walking towards the exit, when Ethan asked, "Captain, is there any way I can help? I do have that fighter, and I don't want to be someone else's experiment. I can help, somehow."

Anderson smiled as he looked back at him. "I'm sure you could, Ethan. I have to report this to my superiors, but I'll put in a good word for you. You helped save some of my soldiers; that's worth that much, at least."

Nodding back, Ethan leaned back and closed his eyes, resting his injured arm on his stomach, the onyx armor pressing on the underside of his bare arm. Without thinking about it, he found himself staring at the unconscious Commander, simply watching her. He could make out details about her; how her bright red hair fell over her shoulders, or the way her lips seemed to purse in thought while she was dreaming.

As Ethan drifted off into sleep, a stray thought popped into his mind. 'I think I know her.'

* * *

Shepard let out a groan as consciousness slowly returned to her. Squinting, she let her eyes slide open, the lights pressing against her vision as she rose. She hears another voice, "Doctor? Doctor Chakwas; I think she's waking up!"

As she sat up, rubbing her forehead, the doctor walked in front of her. "You had us worried, there, Shepard. How are you feeling?"

Shaking her head slightly to clear away the fuzziness, she replied, "Minor throbbing; nothing serious. How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

The voice from before spoke behind her, and as she turned, she recognized Chief Williams standing behind her. "It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way.

Shepard was quick to reply. "You had no way to know what would happen."

The sentiment seemed to cheer the other woman up a bit. Chakwas was quick to continue. "Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we'll never get a chance to find out."

Ashley began walking around the bed to face Shepard. "The beacon exploded; a system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. The lieutenant and I carried you back to the ship."

Shepard nodded to the chief, "I appreciate it."

The doctor continued, "Physically, you're fine. But I detected some unusual brain activity; abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs usually associated with intense dreaming."

Shepard lowered her head, her brow furrowing, as she slowly leaned over, moving to stand next to the bed. "I saw… I'm not sure what I saw. Death, destruction… nothing's really clear."

The doctor nodded, her face taking on a thoughtful look. "Hmmm… I'd better add this to my report, it may- oh; Captain Anderson."

The Captain stepped into the med-bay, quickly stepping up next to the Commander's bedside. "How's our XO holding up, doctor?"

"All the readings look normal, I'd say the Commander's going to be fine."

Anderson was visibly relieved. "Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you. In private."

With a salute, Ashley quickly excused herself, walking out the room with the doctor following behind her.

As soon as the door slid closed, the captain began speaking. "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're okay?"

Shepard nodded, before asking, "What is Ashley doing here? I thought she was stationed on Eden Prime?"

"I thought we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to the Normandy."

With a slight smile, the Commander tilted his head slightly in affirmation, "She's a good soldier. She deserves it."

The Captain nodded as he glanced around the med-bay. "Lieutenant Alenko agrees with you. That's why I added her to the crew."

Mentally bracing herself, Shepard asked, "You said you needed to see me in private, Captain?"

Anderson let out a light sigh as he replied, "I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead; the beacon was destroyed and Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers…"

* * *

As the Captain left, Shepard found herself more confused than when he had first stepped into the room. She glanced over her shoulder as the doctor stepped back into the room, immediately walking up to her. Looking to Chakwas, she asked, "Doctor, did Joker manage to get that fighter pilot onboard before he crashed?"

Nodding, the doctor gestured behind her, "He did; the pilot suffered a burn on his arm from an exploding console, but he's fine otherwise. He doesn't-"

Shepard cut the doctor off as her eyes fell on the sleeping man, gasping and taking an involuntary step back. "E-Ethan?!"

Doctor Chakwas placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know him?" Shepard only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The doctor continued, "He doesn't remember anything, Commander; he woke up in a Cerberus facility and managed to escape with that fighter craft just a few hours ago. If I may ask, how do you know him?"

Shepard eased herself back down into a sitting position on the bed, never taking her eyes off of Ethan. "He was on Mindoir; he worked for my dad for almost a year." She smiled as she added, "We fell in love."

She didn't continue for a few moments, so Chakwas gently prodded, "What happened?"

Folding her arms, she quietly spoke, "The Batarians happened. They came, killed my family, and took him. He hid me in a hidey hole in the barn, before trying to fight them off. I heard them drag him off, and never found any trace of him after that." She put a hand on her mouth as he held back a sob. "I was sure he was dead."

The doctor gently placed her hand on the Commander's shoulder. "Shepard, he doesn't have any memories of his past. He has no idea of what has happened in the last twelve years. For his mental health, don't try to drop all of this on his lap all at once."

Shepard finally turned, looking at her with a questioning look. "What should I do, then?"

Gently smiling, Chakwas replied, "Give him time. If you two fell in love once, you can do it again. Just take things slow, and you'll be able to help coax his memories out. If you try to force his memories out all at once, it could overload his mind, severely damaging or destroying it. We don't know what his life was like over the last twelve years; there may be things we don't want him to remember, not all at once, anyways. You said he was captured by the Batarians?"

Shepard replied, "I'm pretty sure; I didn't actually see."

Nodding, the doctor continued, "If he spent time as a slave, he may have a number of traumatic memories. The worst thing that could happen would be for all of them to come out all at once. Do you understand? Just take things slow, and start over from the beginning."

Shepard looked back at Ethan's sleeping form, before letting out a sigh. "Alright, Chakwas. I'll take things slow with him."

As the doctor moved to cross the room, she spoke, "You might want to tell the Captain what you told me. It would increase the chances of Anderson letting him stay aboard."

* * *

Letting out a groan, Ethan rubbed his eyes as he woke with his good arm, grateful the pain in his other arm was mostly deminished to a dull ache. He felt someone place a cool wet rag against his burns. "Hey, careful there."

Looking up, he saw the woman from before, sitting next to his bed looking down at him. Smiling, he spoke, "Thanks. Sorry I couldn't watch your back a little better out there. Granted, I didn't exactly try to get myself shot down, but there you go. You're Commander Shepard, right?"

He saw something flash in the woman's eyes, before she smiled back at him. "Yes, I am; and don't worry about it. You helped enough, taking out those Geth. As I recall, I do believe I still owe you a drink for that."

Ethan shrugged, "Eh, it was nothing. I'd say we're about even, seeing as how you had your ship pick me up." Sitting up, he looked down at his armor, before asking, "Say, is there any chance I could get something to wear other than armor?"

The Commander nodded, "Sure, but it'll have to wait; we're almost to the Citadel, and the Captain will want you to come with, so you can help provide an account of what happened down there."

Nodding, Ethan turned, dropping his legs off the edge of the bed. "What about my fighter? Will I get to keep it, and help you guys? Assuming you all want my help, that is."

Shepard replied, "I can't speak for the Captain, but the odds are good that you'll be allowed to stay. As for what to do with your fighter, however, might be a different story." Seeing the confusion on his face, she continued, "The Normandy is a small frigate; it isn't designed for fighter launch and retrieval. Short of a major overhaul of the hangar bay, I don't see how we'd be able to keep the fighter with the Normandy."

Doing his best to keep from looking downtrodden, Ethan nodded. "Alright."

Shepard, however, narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "Is there something wrong?"

Ethan shifted in place slightly. "No, nothing."

The Commander didn't buy it. "Spill. What's wrong?"

With a sigh, Ethan looked away. "The fighter has an AI onboard. The very same AI that helped me escape from that Cerberus facility. I owe Alice my life, so I'm trying to protect her."

Shepard raised a brow, and pressed, "Alice? Her?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Well, Alice is a fully self aware AI; I'd feel awkward calling her 'it.' Besides, I think Alice is the main reason I can fly that fighter." Seeing Shepard's confusion, he explained, "I have an implant inside my head that connects my mind to that fighter craft, allowing me to fly it with my mind. However, without an AI to translate signals between the computer and my mind, I don't think it would work as well, if at all."

There was a slight shift in the air, which seemed to cause the Commander to stand up. "I can't promise anything, Ethan. But I'll see what I can do. Now, we'll be at the Citadel in a few minutes, so grab your gear and let's head up to the cockpit. I'm sure you'd appreciate the view."

Nodding, he gingerly slid the armor over his arm, thankful that it didn't rub against the almost fully healed burn wound. Picking his guns up from the floor, he followed the Commander out of the med-bay, and up a flight of stairs. As they moved through what had to be the command and control room, Ethan couldn't shake a deep sense of déjà vú. He couldn't take his eyes off a holographic map of the galaxy, noting the various points that were highlighted with bright lights.

The two of them quickly moved up to the front of the ship, Ethan noticing more than a few stares by people as they walked by. Stopping behind the pilot's seat, Ethan gaped as he looked out the window, the nebula around them shining brightly.

"Good timing, Commander. I was just about to bring us in to the Citadel. See that taxpayer money at work."

As they stood there, the Normandy flew through a particularly thick cloud in the nebula, before the view cleared, showing them a full view of the Citadel. Ethan's eyes grew wide, his jaw opening as he took in the sight in front of him. Shepard glanced over at him, smiling at his awe, before turning her gaze back to the view in front of them. Ashley and Kaidan came up behind them, and Ethan heard them talk behind him, but he paid them no mind, simply staring at the ships that came into their view as they flew into the Citadel.

He did manage to hear the pilot's voice, though. "Citadel control, this is SSV Normandy requesting permission to land."

"_Stand by for clearance, Normandy. Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator._"

"Roger, Alliance Tower. Normandy out."

Another voice sounded through the comm systems. "_Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to dock four two two._"

Ethan continued to gape as the Normandy flew through what appeared to be a myriad of traffic, before slowing down, entering what appeared to be a docking bay of some kind. He watched, fascinated, as the small frigate docked with the station, finally coming to a rest. As Ashley and Kaidan filed out of the cockpit, Shepard gestured towards the door with her hand. "Shall we?"

Ethan gave her a smile, nodding. "Sure. Ladies first."

With one last glance out the window, Ethan turned and followed the Commander out, moving towards the airlock, his mind still filled with wonder.

* * *

A/N: Buh. Here you go. Finally managed to find time to finish this up between exams, assignments, internships, and work.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ok, so it's been a while. I could go on about how hard and long life is, but I know you all probably don't care. So here's the chapter. Don't come chasing me with pitchforks, and I'll be happy.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 3

Ethan's good mood had rapidly soured as they stood in the human ambassador's office, and he had been forced to listen to the wiry man who reminded him of a weasel gripe and complain to the Citadel Council, then to Captain Anderson and the rest of them.

"Captain Anderson; I see you brought half your crew with you."

The Captain gestured to them. "Just the ground team from Eden Prime, in case you had any questions."

The ambassador folded his arms, sneer visible on his face. "I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?"

Anderson nodded, "They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

Udina rolled his eyes as he looked out over the balcony. "They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

Ethan watched as Shepard took a step forward. "Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us!"

The ambassador bristled at her, replying, "Settle down, Commander. You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon destroyed!"

Ethan felt his temper rising at the tone Udina was using with Shepard, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Anderson jumped to her defense, speaking, "That's Saren's fault, not hers."

Udina shook his head, exasperated. "Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." The ambassador's gaze turned to Ethan, a single eyebrow raised. "As for you, officially I can't do anything to help you. However, I have received word that the Alliance command is considering your… unique situation, and will make a decision regarding your fate soon." Turning back, Udina spoke, "Come with me Captain; I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower, top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in. Be there in four hours."

Ethan watched as the two of them left, his gaze turning towards Ashley as she spoke. "And that's why I hate politicians."

He couldn't help but smirk, finding himself agreeing with her. Glancing out over the balcony, he let out a sigh, the ambassador's words running through his head. He leaned his arms on the guardrail, admiring the view of the Presidium. He was pulled from his thoughts as someone bumped into his arm. Glancing over, he saw Shepard standing there. She smirked as she asked, "First time seeing the Presidium?"

Smirking back, he shrugged. "Beats me; I can't remember. Either way, it's an impressive sight."

Before either of them could say anything else, Ethan heard Kaidan speak, "Commander, if it's ok with you, we'll meet you in the Presidium later?"

The Commander turned and nodded. "Sure, go on ahead."

Ethan glanced over his shoulder as Kaidan and Ashley walked out the door, leaving Shepard and himself standing in the ambassador's office. Sending a questioning glance towards the Commander, he asked, "Where did they go?"

Shepard shrugged. "No idea. They probably went sightseeing; most Alliance personnel do that for shore leave when they're not on assignment. Since they aren't needed until the hearing, they probably went to grab some food." There was a slight pause, before she continued, "Speaking of which, would you like to get something to eat?"

Nodding, Ethan stood up, turning towards the Commander. "Sure. I could use something to eat; the last time I ate was..." He paused, his brow furrowing, before he spoke again. "Actually, I don't think I've eaten anything since I woke up."

Shepard eyed him critically. "That was sometime yesterday, Ethan. You're telling me you haven't had anything for almost a full day?"

Nodding, he replied, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

She began walking, gesturing for him to follow. "You know, you could have asked for something to eat aboard the ship."

Ethan shrugged as he stepped through the door. "There didn't seem to be any time, so I just didn't say anything. It's not that big a deal."

The Commander gave him a stern look. "Are you saying you make a habit of skipping meals?"

Ethan let out a sigh, reaffirming, "Commander, I don't know. I can't remember anything before yesterday. Did I usually skip meals? Maybe. Did I have any other annoying habits? Probably. Do I have any possible clue about any of them? Not in the slightest. However, if I remember something, I'm sure I'll... I'll..."

Ethan stopped, his eyes glued to a vidscreen on the nearby wall. Shepard looked at him, then to the screen. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the screen was showing some kind of news report, flashing pictures of Batarians. She reached out to gently place her hand on his arm. "Ethan?"

Ethan jumped as her hand touched his arm.

* * *

_"Move it, human!"_

_Ethan gasped as a rifle butt slammed into his back, driving him to the ground. He managed to catch himself, even with his hands bound. He could hear the screams of people as the Batarians forced control devices into their victims, jamming the small microchips into their skulls. Ethan spit out a mouthful of blood, trying not to think about the growing welt on his cheek from a previous hit, or the smell of blood and burning flesh assaulting his senses._

_Trying to stand, he put his energies into hiding his pain, not wanting to show weakness. Glancing over, he saw a group of Batarians standing around a little girl; Sarah, if he remembered. The child was barely nine years old, suffering from a broken leg she had gotten after falling from a piece of farming equipment. He had babysat the girl for the neighbors on occasion. He heard one Batarian speak, "This child's too scrawny to be worth anything. What should we do with her, boss?"_

_A Batarian in heavy armor strode up, and with one glance at the girl, replied, "Throw her to the Varren."_

_The first Batarian nodded, "You got it, Tarak."_

_Ethan's eyes grew wide in horror as a pair of Batarians picked the girl up, carrying her struggling form to a hastily dug pit, Varren visible as they jumped up, trying to climb out. He couldn't divert his gaze as they threw her in, the Varren lunging at Sarah's tiny form..._

* * *

"...Ethan? Ethan!"

He spun around, eyes wide. He looked around the Presidium wildly, trying to figure out where he was. As his eyes fell onto Shepard, he felt something twist in his gut, before forcing a smile. "I'm fine. Were you saying something?"

She looked at him, her curiosity quite obvious. "What was that?" She could tell that he seemed hesitant at first, but gently pressed. "Did you remember something? Was it something from your past?"

Ethan nodded, turning and walking over towards one of the large lakes within the Presidium. "Yeah, I remembered something alright. Something I wish I hadn't."

Shepard waited, standing next to him as he stood "Well? What did you remember?"

Ethan hesitated, before turning away. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it right now. Could we just go grab some food, please?"

Shepard nodded, and began leading him along. "Sure; I know a good place to grab a bite. This way."

Neither of them spoke as they walked, both lost in their thoughts. Ethan made a mental note of things that looked familiar, or sounded familiar while they walked, trying to coax any more memories out of his damaged mind. He tried to stay focused, but each time he closed his eyes, all he could see was that little girl.

So lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't see Shepard stop, barely managing to halt in his tracks before he plowed into her. She turned, smiling, "Here we are; best place on the Citadel for pizza." Her smile faltered slightly. "Just don't ask what's in the pepperoni."

Raising an eyebrow, Ethan asked, "Should I not get pepperoni pizza, or something?"

The Commander shrugged as she led him inside. "That's up to you. All I can say is if you do order it, don't expect it to taste the way it's supposed to taste."

As they stepped into the restaurant, moving to sit in an empty booth, he looked over the counter at the various pizzas' sitting beneath the heat lamps. "Well then, what is the pepperoni made out of?"

He could sense Shepard hesitating, so he turned and looked at her, questioning. Finally, she relented, answering. "The pepperoni here is made out of Varren meat. It's easier and cheaper to get out here-"

At the mention of the animal, Ethan's mind immediately jumped to the flashback, and all he could see was the Varren tearing into Sarah's tiny body. Quickly standing up, repressing a shudder, Ethan shook his head, "No thank you. You know what, I don't think I'm very hungry anymore Commander. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to take a walk around, see the sights. I'll meet you later."

He didn't wait for her to respond, but simply walked out of the restaurant, his stomach roiling at the thought of his even considering eating Varren meat. He could hear the Commander calling his name, but he didn't stop, walking as fast as he could, moving towards the elevator nearby. Within moments, he found himself standing within the empty car, and slammed his hand down onto the control unit, causing the door to close behind him. He turned just in time to see the door close in Shepard's face, sealing her out of the elevator.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a small, seemingly average Volus happened to watch them go, though his eyes were glued on Ethan the entire time, up until the elevator doors slid closed. Also going unnoticed was this particular Volus activating his Omni-tool.

Ethan let out a shaky breath as he held his hands up, and noticed that they were shaking, almost violently. Closing his eyes, he willed his hands to settle and calm, trying to steady his racing heartbeat, the blood pounding in his ears. By the time the elevator began to slow, he had managed to return his pulse to a more normal rate, allowing himself to relax slightly. He opened his eyes as the elevator doors parted for him. Immediately stepping out, he simply began to walk, opting to turn down one of the alleys to avoid the crowds.

Ethan didn't blame Shepard for what had happened; after all, he hadn't told her about remembering the little girl and the Varren. However, that hadn't stopped his initial reaction to hearing that they served Varren meat on the Citadel. It was all he could manage not to picture the same Varren eating human flesh being served here as food for the citizens of the Citadel as a sort of hamburger supplement. It took all of his willpower not to retch at the thought.

He was so embattled with his own mind that he had continued to walk until he heard footsteps approaching him. Stopping, he turned to the side, glancing over, as a thin, diminutive girl stepped out from the shadows. An eyebrow quirked as he realized the girl was covered head to toe in an environment suit of some kind; a Quarian, he realized with a start. She spoke, in a somewhat hesitant voice, though attempting to appear braver than she felt. "A-are you with the Shadow Broker?"

Tilting his head in confusion, he replied, "No, I'm not. Are you expecting someone working for him or something?"

The Quarian nodded, shifting in place. "I was sent here by a man named Fist to meet with one of the Broker's agents in a few hours. I have a voice recording of a Spectre named Saren, and I was told the Shadow Broker was the person I should go to with this kind of evidence. I was just looking the area over to make sure there weren't any traps placed ahead of time."

Ethan's brow furrowed as he heard the name. "Fist? I recognize that name…" After a few moments thought, he asked, "Do you think you could take me to where this Fist is? I think I want to try to talk to him."

The Quarian nodded. "Sure." As she began to walk, she replied, "If you're not with the Shadow Broker, then why were you walking through the alley here?"

Ethan shrugged, scuffing his feet along the floor as he walked. "I'm suffering from some kind of amnesia; I can't remember anything from before yesterday. Just a few minutes ago I had a flashback of some kind of attack on a colony by Batarians. I remembered seeing them throw a little girl into a Varren pit. When the woman I was with mentioned the food inside this restaurant we were in served Varren meat… I just had to get out of there, clear my head…"

The girl nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry; I would help if I could, but I don't really know what you're going through."

He waved her off, "Don't worry about it."

Soon enough, the two of them stopped in front of what appeared to be a rather seedy bar. The Quarian gestured to it, "Well, Fist works inside there; he runs the place."

Ethan nodded, extending his hand. "Thank you for helping me out, miss…?"

The Quarian took his hand, shaking it. "Tali'Zorah."

Smiling, he replied, "I'm Ethan. And thank you, again. Good luck to you."

As she walked away, he shook his head, marveling at how often he was beginning to get this feeling of déjà vú. Stepping into the bar, he was immediately assaulted by the sounds and smells of the bar, and it took a fair amount of self-control not to visibly gag. The bar oozed with the smells of smoke, cheap liquor, sweat, and sex. Moving towards the back room as quickly as he could, he stepped up to a rather large Krogan. The reptilian monster turned its dark red eyes onto him. "What do you want?"

Not backing down, he responded, "I'd like to speak to Fist."

Quirking an eye-ridge, he replied, "You got a name, whelp?"

"Ethan Barrow."

The Krogan's eyes grew wide, before he brought up his Omni-tool. He turned in place, mumbling quietly into the device, before spinning. "Follow me."

An eyebrow raised, Ethan followed the Krogan through the door behind him, and beyond a few halls. He idly noticed that there wasn't anyone else in the hallway with them. Finally, the two of them stepped up to a large door. The Krogan merely opened the door, then gestured for him to enter. He did so, and the door slid shut immediately behind him. Stepping into the room, he was surprised to see the man on the other side of the desk, heavily armed and armored, stand and smile. "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in; it's been a long time, Ethan."

His brow furrowed in confusion, he asked, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

The man he could only presume was Fist mirrored his own confusion. "Of course! I was one of your contacts here on the Citadel."

Ethan shook his head as he stepped closer. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't remember; I woke up in a Cerberus facility yesterday, managed to escape before they cut me open like some kind of lab rat, and I can't remember anything before that. So… you know who I am? You could help me try to piece together bits of my past?"

Fist, who had been listening intently, nodded, a slight smirk coming to his face. "Yeah, sure I can." He reached down, and pulled out a bottle. "Something to drink?"

He shook his head, "No thanks."

The other man nodded, taking a sip before he continued speaking. "So, first big point to bring up; you worked for the Shadow Broker."

Ethan's eyes grew wide at that. "I-I did?"

Fist smiled wider as he sat back down, resting his feet on his desk as he leaned back. "Yep; you were one of his top agents, one of his go-to assassins, from what I occasionally heard from other contacts. He would send you places to solve his little… problems."

He shot the other man an incredulous look. "Me? An assassin? You're kidding, right?"

Fist shook his head. "I'm just telling you what I know. Anyways, whenever you'd come along into the Citadel, he'd forward me your Intel, and credits to get you along your merry way. I'd see you drop by no more than half a dozen times a year for over ten years. Then one day, you simply stopped coming. No explanations, no excuses, no nothing. As far as I knew, you had just dropped off the face of the galaxy. Not even the Broker himself knew where you went; he sent out bolos to all his agents to look for you, but not one turned up any hits. I find it interesting for you to show up now, of all times."

Ethan's brow furrowed again, as he replied, "Why would it be interesting for me to show up now?"

Fist stood up from his desk, his colossus armor reflecting a sliver of light as he moved. He began to slowly walk around his desk, as he calmly spoke, "It just so happens that I've recently had a change in employers. Lets just say my severance from the Broker wasn't on the happiest terms." He began reaching behind his back as he finished, "It's a shame, really, that you won't get to find out more."

As Fist's hand came around, a shotgun unfolding from his back, Ethan felt the world slow down around him. He could feel his body reacting, muscle memory and instinct causing his hands to shoot out, one knocking the gun to one side. His right hand, however, pulled the knife from his back, his body spinning around in a half circle, before plunging the knife into Fist's shoulder blade, using his weight to drive the other man onto the ground.

As the world seemed to return to normal, Ethan was surprised to find his left hand armed with a pistol, pressed against the other man's forehead, pressing into the flesh. Fist grimaced in pain, wincing as the knife shifted slightly, before letting out a pained laugh. "Well, what'd'ya know? I guess all that assassin training is still floating around your damaged cranium."

As he stared down at the other man, a thought occurred to him, and he asked, "If you aren't working for the Shadow Broker anymore, then who is that Quarian going to meet in a couple of hours?"

Fist's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You know about the Quarian?"

Nodding, he replied, "I met her on my way here." Mulling it over, he looked Fist in the eye. "Tell me who you betrayed the Broker for and why, and I'll let you leave here alive."

Fist looked up at him, skeptically. "Why would you do that?"

"Why not? You've already helped me figure out part of my past; the way I see it, it's a life for a life. You help me save her life, you buy your own life."

Nodding, Fist replied, "The men who are going to meet her are Saren's men; they'll probably kill her when they find her. As for why, that's easy; he paid me more, a lot more."

Satisfied, Ethan stood up, before reaching down and pulling Fist off the ground. Gingerly, he grabbed the handle of his knife. In one swift motion, he pulled the blade out of the other man's shoulder, before immediately applying medi-gel, quelling his squeal of pain. Once he was sure the wound was closed, he spoke, "Thank you. You'll probably want to get off the Citadel; knowing what little I know about the Shadow Broker, I doubt he'll show you mercy like I did."

Fist laughed humorlessly, "Don't I know it. Trust me, you won't see me here again."

Turning, Ethan walked out of the room without another word, the doors hissing closed behind him. He didn't look at anyone as he walked out, focused on moving back into the alley where he had found Tali. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he did notice an old, scarred Krogan staring at him, blood red eyes watching him leave.

Stepping out of the bar, he found himself face to face with a Turian, towering at least a solid foot over him. He immediately recognized the C-Sec uniform. "Excuse me, C-Sec business."

Ethan stepped around the Turian, but as he began to continue on, he stopped and turned. "Sorry to bother you officer, it's just that you look familiar… are you on a case right now?"

The alien turned and regarded him with an analytical eye. "Yes, I am. I'm looking for evidence against a rogue Spectre."

"What is the Spectre's name?"

The Turian's mandibles twitched, before he replied. "Saren Arterius."

Eyebrows raising, he motioned for the Turian to follow him, "I may be able to help you with that. Follow me." As he began to walk, he added, "Oh, my name's Ethan, by the way. Ethan Barrow."

Nodding, the alien replied, "Garrus Vakarian. Where are you taking me?"

Continuing on, he answered, "Earlier I met a Quarian who said she had evidence against a man named Saren for the Shadow Broker. After talking with Fist, he told me that he betrayed the Broker, and set the Quarian up to be ambushed by Saren's men."

Garrus shot him a skeptical look; at least, Ethan assumed it was a skeptical look. "Fist just told you all of this?"

He nodded, "Yeah, right after claiming that I'm supposedly an agent for the Broker, and right before trying to pull a shotgun on me and blast my head off. However, seeing as how I can't remember anything before yesterday thanks to a wonderful case of amnesia, I could be the emperor of the universe and not know it, so I'm at least willing to entertain the thought."

"And how did you meet this Quarian?"

Ethan smirked, "I almost ran into her while I was walking, actually. I was in a bit of a daze and wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Anyways, when you mentioned a rogue Spectre and the name Saren, it started to make sense. Once we get the evidence to Shepard-"

Garrus grabbed his shoulder, looking at him with wide eyes, "Commander Shepard? The human up for Spectre candidacy?"

Ethan nodded again, "Yeah; I'm sort of a temporary member of her Captain's crew."

Vakarian seemed to smirk, "You seem to be stuck in the middle of all of this."

"So it would seem." He slowed his pace, brow furrowing in confusion. "You know, I almost feel as though I already knew all of this. Like déjà vú or something."

The Turian shot him a look of confusion, "What's that?"

"It's… well, you know how you can see something, but get a strange feeling you've seen it before, even if you don't remember seeing it? That's what we call it, déjà vú."

Garrus nodded in understanding. "Ok, I know what you mean. And on an unrelated note, now I know what they were talking about down in the evidence locker yesterday…"

Nearing the entryway to the alley, Ethan stepped in, his eyes roaming the walls. Taking a chance, he cupped his hands and called out, "Tali? Are you still here?"

A helmeted visor popped out from behind a set of crates, before the rest of the body followed, the Quarian slowly walking over to him. "Ethan? What are you doing back here?"

Shrugging, he sheepishly replied, "Well, I think I may actually work for the Shadow Broker. At least, that's what Fist told me. He also told me he set you up; it would have been Saren's men that found you."

Tali's hands clenched into fists, slightly shaking in what he presumed to be anger. "That Bosh'tet! I knew I couldn't trust him!"

Holding up his hands, Ethan continued, "Hey, relax! You're safe now. We could actually use that evidence. Would you be willing to come with us? We can give the evidence to the Alliance; they have a case brought up against Saren to get him removed from the Spectres, and your evidence would really help out."

The Quarian glanced between Garrus and himself, before slowly nodding. "Ok, I'll come with you."

Garrus spoke up, "We'd better hurry; the Council meeting is set to start soon. We need to get the evidence up there to present, otherwise they'll likely let Saren loose without punishing him."

Ethan gestured towards the Turian, "Well then, lead the way."

* * *

Stepping out of the elevator into the Council chambers, they could hear the Council begin their deliberations. "The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way."

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."

Ethan turned to the other two, "I guess we showed up at just the right time. Come on, let's hurry."

He couldn't hear some of the following conversation as they jogged up, but as they neared, he could hear the Turian in the hologram speak, "Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Ethan heard someone else start yelling, before the Turian spoke up again, "This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, councilor, and mine."

As Ethan stepped up onto the pedestal and walked up to stand next to Shepard, he spoke up, "Not quite, Saren. If I may, Councilors, we did find evidence." He turned back, facing Tali, and gestured to her. "Go ahead."

She nodded, and activated her Omni-tool. Almost immediately, Saren's voice boomed out from the small device. "Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

An ominous silence descended over the Council chambers, all eyes moving to look at the hologram of the now speechless Spectre, Saren's mandibles quivering in shock. Shepard smirked as she turned towards the Council. "Is that evidence enough?"

All three of the Councilors turned towards Saren, eyes wide and questioning. "Spectre Arterius, explain yourself!"

The Turian's mandibles began quivering even more, practically vibrating, before he turned his gaze onto Ethan, letting out a cross between a roar and a yell, before the hologram abruptly shut down. Silence descended over the chambers, no one quite knowing what to say. Ethan glanced around, before letting out a breath. "I'll, uh… I'll just be leaving now…"

Before he could turn, however, Councilor Sparatus spoke up. "One moment, who are you?"

Nervously clearing his throat, he replied, "My name is Ethan Barrow, sir. I'm a member of Commander Shepard's crew."

The Asari spoke next, "How did you happen across this evidence, Ethan?"

"I was out searching for leads on the Commander's order." He only barely managed to keep from looking at the woman next to him as she let out a stifled gasp, and continued past the lie in his story to the half-truth he was making up as he went along. "After encountering Officer Vakarian, he led me into Chora's Den to question the owner, Fist, about a possible lead. That lead led us to Tali'Zorah nar Rayya here, who pulled that audio log off of a disabled Geth."

All three Councilors mulled over his story, appearing deep in thought. Finally, Councilor Valern spoke, "So you did this of your own volition?"

Nodding, he replied, "Yes, Councilor."

With a hint of a smile, the Salarian continued, "Impressive. If I dare say, an effort such as that would be comparable to the effort our own operatives put forth in the line of duty."

Eyes wide, Ethan managed to stutter out, "T-thank you, Councilor."

With that, the Councilors turned their attention towards Commander Shepard, allowing Ethan to finally step back off of the podium. Looking up, he found Captain Anderson smiling at him, Udina simply giving him a respectful nod, and Garrus and Tali standing off to one side, the Turian smiling. With a shrug, Ethan simply moved between the two pair of people, turning to watch the continuation of the meeting between the Council and Commander Shepard.

As they spoke, Ethan found his mind wandering, trying to figure out why the Salarian Councilor made the statement he had about his finding the evidence. The more he thought about it, the less sense it seemed to make to him. He focused on the point so much that he completely missed Shepard being initiated as a Spectre, until he heard a round of applause echo throughout the chamber.

A crowd gathered around her, keeping her attention, but Ethan noticed she kept glancing his way, an indecipherable look on her face. Finally, after a few minutes, the crowd cleared enough for her to maneuver over to them. She walked straight towards him, but before she could get close enough to start speaking to him, another voice sounded out.

"Ethan? May I have a word?" Turning, he found Councilor Valern walking over to him, extending his hand for a handshake. Ethan took his hand, but before he could answer, the Salarian leaned over and whispered into his ear. "The Broker would like a word with you." Stepping back, he smiled as if he hadn't said anything. "If you have a few minutes before you head back out with Commander Shepard, I would like to meet with you. I'll forward you directions to our embassy." Turning, he nodded, "Commander." With that, the Salarian turned away from them both and left.

The Commander tilted her head in confusion, as she asked, "What was that about?"

Ethan shrugged, "No idea. I guess he just wants to talk about something." He felt his gut twist at lying, but shoved the feeling down, trying his best to ignore it. Putting on a half-forced smile, he asked, "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow, likely in disbelief. "Yes, actually; I'd like to know what happened down in the wards where you just ran off like you were being chased by hell hounds."

Keeping his face carefully neutral, he replied, "It's not something I want to discuss out in the open. I will tell you it had everything to do with what I remembered from… before."

The Commander stared into his eyes for a long moment, before she nodded. "Fine. But I will be holding you to that; you owe me an explanation."

Ethan nodded, then stepped back as Anderson and Udina moved over, taking Shepard's attention away from him. With that, he took his leave, bringing up his Omni-tool to get directions to the Councilor's embassy.

* * *

Ethan took a deep breath before stepping into the embassy, the door sliding open and closed with barely an audible whisper. The room was relatively dark, with blinds drawn over the balcony openings to block most of the light. He saw the Salarian Councilor standing there, watching him. Without saying a word, Valern gestured towards what appeared to be a holographic terminal of some kind, before walking out of the room altogether. As soon as he stepped out, the door panel turned red, indicating he was currently locked in.

Slowly, hesitantly, he walked over to the terminal, stepping onto a platform. As soon as he did so, a light flashed near his feet, and a scanner passed over him. As he watched, a circular grid overlay rose up from the floor, surrounding him, before flashing into an almost perfect projection of somewhere else. Looking around, Ethan realized the room looked maddeningly familiar; circular, with some equipment scattered about, and a large power conduit situated above him. Looking forward, he found himself staring at a Turian situated behind a desk, his features hidden behind a veil of shadows.

With a sharp breath, the Turian spoke, "Hello, Ethan. I think we need to have a chat…"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Not a lot of action in this chapter. That'll come later. Sadly, I seem to have a lot more motivation to write when I have schoolwork I should be doing. Meh. What do I care; I catch up eventually. Read and enjoy.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 4

Ethan leaned forward slightly as he looked at the Turian in front of him, sitting behind his desk in the shadows. "Who are you?"

The Turian's head tilted to one side in what had to be confusion. "_You know who I am, Ethan._"

Shaking his head, he replied to the Turian, "No, actually, I don't. As I find myself repeating far too often for my liking, I'm suffering from amnesia; I don't remember anything before two days ago." He paused, before asking, "Are you the Shadow Broker?"

The Turian leaned into his desk, placing his taloned hands onto the surface, fingers laced. "_Yes, I am the Shadow Broker; I am the man who saved you from a life as a slave at the hands of the Batarians._" The Broker leaned back, as he continued; "_I am also the man whose life you saved._"

Ethan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Uh... come again?"

The Shadow Broker chuckled as he stood up, and slowly began walking across the room towards a small window. "_Yes, Ethan, you heard correctly. Thirteen years ago, you contacted me about saving someone you cared about from an impending slaver attack. The first question you asked me was if I had a pet Yagh. You then told me to get rid of it if I valued my life. If it hadn't been for your warning, I would have died, and that Yagh would have taken over as Shadow Broker._"

Ethan couldn't help but look down towards the floor as he processed what the man in front of him was telling him. "So you know who I am? Where I'm from, and if anyone has missed me? Do I have a family?"

The Turian laughed a little harder. "_Yes to all but the family; you never grew attached to anyone else._"

His brow furrowed even further in confusion. "Anyone else?"

The Broker nodded, "_Yes, you remember my mentioning someone you wanted saved? She was the one you were in love with, if your audio journal entries were anything to go by_." After a moment, he added, "I_ apologize for breaking that confidentiality, by the way; when you went missing, I had to explore all possible explanations as to why, including any messages you may have inadvertently left in your journals._"

Ethan took a step forward as he asked, "Can I have a copy of my journal entries? So I can try to remember who I am?"

For the first time, the Shadow Broker looked directly at him, his eyes tiny pricks of light from the shadows. "_That depends. Can I continue to depend on you? You were one of my better agents for over a decade, Ethan. Can I trust that you will return to my employ, and provide me information when I ask for it? Can I count on you to do what it takes, whatever the cost?_"

Ethan looked down at his hands, and his mind flashed back on his reaction with Fist; how he had disarmed the man, and had him at gunpoint in the time it took to blink. He closed his eyes, and focused on his feelings. He was surprised at the lack of reaction the thought brought to him. With a sigh, he looked back up at the Turian. "Yes. Yes you can."

The Shadow Broker nodded, before stepping into the light, his features coming into view. He could see the Turian had bright green clan paint, ornate in its design. "_Good. Now then, I don't expect much from you right away. You just take a little time to work on getting your memories back. Once they do come back, I would like a report as to your whereabouts over the course of the past year. Understood?_"

Ethan nodded his ascent. "I understand. How will you get my journal to me?"

The Turian smirked, before bringing up his Omni-tool. "_I already had it downloaded to another agent on the Citadel. It will be stashed with the last crate of supplies bound for the Normandy, in a small box with your initials on it. It will also include a new Omni-tool for you to use to contact me. Any other questions?_"

"Not right now, no." He took a breath, before letting it out in a sigh. "Thank you for your help."

The Shadow Broker merely waved off his remark. "_Think nothing of it. The list of people I owe my life to is a rather short list; consider this another small payment in settling my debt to you._" The Turian turned to walk away, but stopped, speaking out. "_Oh, I almost forgot; that woman you fell in love with? She's much closer to you now than you think. I won't spoil the surprise and tell you who it is, but I wouldn't put off listening to that journal of yours._"

With that, the connection was severed, the holographic images dissipating away, leaving Ethan standing within the Councilor's office. Barely a few moments passed before the Salarian Councilor stepped back into the room. "That will be all, Agent Barrow. The Normandy will be departing soon; if you wish to be aboard it when it leaves, I would suggest you hurry."

Giving Valern a courteous nod, Ethan briskly walked out of his office, his mind rapidly filling with more questions than he could possibly answer.

* * *

The Shadow Broker let out a sigh as the holo-projector disengaged, severing the line between himself and Ethan. A uniquely flanged voice sounded out, snaring his attention. "You are aware that he was captured by Cerberus, are you not? Why then do you not take more precautions to ensure his loyalty?"

The Turian simply smirked, "Patience, Javik. While Cerberus has always been notoriously difficult to infiltrate, I had an agent close enough to him to make sure nothing was done to him that we couldn't fix or reverse. As I recall, it was because of him that we pulled your cryogenic coffin out of the ground before the next harvest."

The other being let out a snort, "I am fully aware, as you so frequently enjoy reminding me."

The Broker nodded, content with the answer, as he sat back down at his desk. "Even so, his having any ties with Cerberus could play as an advantage. For now, while his memories are hidden, he makes an excellent sleeper agent. Once his memories return, he can help play a pivotal role in preparing for the Reapers."

"Assuming he doesn't get himself killed before then."

The Turian laughed, "Ah, Javik; ever the optimistic one."

* * *

As Ethan walked towards the dock where the Normandy was berthed, he found himself passing Captain Anderson. The older man stopped, before speaking, "Shepard is waiting for you before taking off; you'd better get moving."

His brow furrowing in confusion, he asked, "But aren't you the Captain of the Normandy, sir?"

Anderson shook his head. "Not anymore. As a Spectre, Shepard needed her own ship. The Normandy was the best choice for her." A slight smile took the Captain's features. "However, I received word that the Allince brass is willing to allow you to serve aboard the Normandy. For now, at least. They're curious about what Cerberus may have done to you. You will be under close watch, but you will be free to serve aboard the Normandy. Congratulations, son."

Ethan shook the man's hand, eyes wide. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet, Ethan. You're the one volunteering to try to save the galaxy. That means you will likely be shot at more times than you could possibly count."

With those words of encouragement, Captain Anderson turned and left, leaving Ethan to continue his path towards the Normandy. Thankfully, it did not take him long. Within a matter of a few minutes, he found himself waiting for the airlock to cycle. He wasn't sure what to expect when he boarded, but finding Commander Shepard standing there, her arms crossed, glaring at him, was not high on that list of expectations. "Uh, y-yes Commander?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, before she motioned for him to follow. "We need to talk."

Ethan ignored the snickering coming from the cockpit as he walked past, following Shepard as she led him into the communications room. She stepped into the middle of the room, but did not turn as the door slid closed behind them. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, he asked, "Did you need to discuss something, Commander?"

In an instant, she rounded on him, her eyes blazing. "It has come to my attention that there is a rumor floating about coming from two of our three alien entourage. A rumor that you were an agent for the Shadow Broker, and quite possibly had been for some considerable time. Care to explain yourself, Ethan?"

With a shrug, he replied, "I don't know what to tell you, Commander. The club owner, Fist, claimed I was a Broker agent. That said, this man was also working for Saren, so I wouldn't exactly take his word as complete truth."

Shepard nodded, still glaring at him. She turned slightly away, before jerking around suddenly. Ethan barely had time to register the slight glint of light reflect off of a knife blade before his body flew into action, both deflecting the knife with one hand and sweeping a leg underneath the Commander's feet, knocking her to the ground. In one motion, he grabbed the knife handle out of the air as he dropped, straddling Shepard's waist as he unconsciously brought the knife down to her throat, stopping as it touched her skin.

As he stared down at her, he found he couldn't turn his eyes away from hers, irregardless of how hard he tried to look away. Without thinking, he let go of the knife, the metal clanging against the floor. He brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek, softly caressing the skin. With a start, he pulled away as though his hand had just been burned, standing up and backing away until he was across the room from her, back pressed against the wall.

Looking down at her, he asked, breathlessly, "I know you, somehow, from somewhere. Why do I know you?!"

She slowly stood up, her hands held out in a placating gesture. She spoke, just as breathless as him. "Ethan, you need to calm down..."

His eyes grew wider as she spoke his name in that heated tone of voice. Images began to flash before his eyes, pictures of the woman in front of him, but much younger. Though the images began to blur past faster than he could possibly analyze or recognize the locations or backgrounds, each memory was centered around her face. He clutched at his head, the pressure building as his mind tried to process the sudden deluge of memories. "Marie, it hurts. Make the pain stop..."

It was the last thing he remembered saying before darkness consumed him.

* * *

Chakwas glared at Commander Shepard as she hooked Ethan's lifeless body to the scanners. "Was it necessary to confront him in such a manner, Commander?"

Shepard held her ground. "I wanted to know the truth, doctor."

"By pulling a knife on him to test his reaction? It's a wonder he didn't kill you, judging from what you told me. The only people I know of in my expertise who react with that kind of speed and accuracy are Special Forces and assassins."

Shepard's demeanor shifted, her gaze turning to the unconscious man on the bed. "You don't think..."

Chakwas shrugged helplessly. "I can't say; you said he's been missing for over twelve years. That is a very long time, Commander. Very well long enough for the kind of training needed for that level of skill."

Shepard stepped over to Ethan's side, looking down at him as she asked, "What do I do if he actually is an agent for the Shadow Broker?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Does it really matter?" At her questioning look, she elaborated, "You already have a Turian C-Sec operative, a Quarian nomadic vagrant, and a Krogan mercenary working for you. Does having an agent for the Shadow Broker helping you make that much difference?"

Shepard let out a sigh as she replied, "I guess not."

With a knowing look, Chakwas stepped up next to the Commander and placed a hand on he shoulder. "That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

There was a moment of silence, before the Commander stifled a sob. "He said my first name, Karin; I think he remembered me before he passed out."

The doctor began to smile as she patted the younger woman's back. "That's good news! He should begin to recover much more quickly, if that's the case. It will give him a base to focus on, to work on the rest of his memories beyond that." When Shepard didn't respond or react, she asked, "What is it?"

Shepard's gaze finally turned to hers. "If he was working for the Shadow Broker, why was he on Mindoir in the first place? Why didn't he ever try to contact me during those twelve years?" Shepard looked back down at Ethan. "Why did you leave me to think you were dead all those years?"

* * *

Ethan let out a groan as he woke, squinting at the bright lights above him. He couldn't help but think, 'I'm getting really sick of waking up like this.' As he sat up, he felt a stab of pain shoot through his head, causing him to clutch his forehead with one hand. He idly noticed he was no longer in his armor, but rather was wearing Alliance fatigues.

"Easy there, Ethan. Take it easy."

Turning his head slightly, he asked, "I'm in the med-bay again, aren't I?"

He heard Chakwas laugh quietly. "Yes, I'm afraid you are. You apparently had an episode a few hours ago with your memory. Can you remember anything now that you didn't earlier?"

Furrowing his brow, Ethan wracked his brain, before his eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, yes I can!"

The doctor stepped around, moving in front of him to look at him, eye to eye. "What can you remember, Ethan?"

She watched his eyes dart back and forth, as though he were reading something through his mind. At one point, his eyes grew wide, and she heard him mumble out, "I shouldn't be here."

Confused, she asked him, "What do you mean?"

He jumped, as though he had forgotten she was standing there. Forcing a smile, he slowly stood up, and gently patted the doctor on the shoulder. "Nothing; just rambling, doctor Chakwas. Thank you for your help. Tell me, where are the bathrooms on the ship?"

Gesturing out the door, she replied, "Just out that door, and between the stairs."

"Thanks." With that, he carefully walked out of the med-bay, heading for the small bathrooms. A few crewmen nodded in acknowledgement as he moved past them, and he returned the gesture, if half-heartedly. Finally, reaching the bathroom, he closed and locked the door behind him. Making sure no one else was in there, he stepped over to the sink and placed his hands on either side, bracing himself. Looking into the mirror, he swore aloud. "Way to fuck things up, Ethan."

His memory was not completely there yet; he still couldn't remember the years between Mindoir and the present, but he could finally remember his past. More specifically, he could remember four very important facts: he wasn't from this galaxy, his presence here was because of Cerberus playing around with alternate dimensions and dimensional portals of some kind, his original plan had been to stay as far away from the Normandy as humanly possible, and he had accidentally fallen in love with a girl. the one girl in the galaxy who could stop the Reapers. On Mindoir. Right before the Batarian slave raid.

"…Shit."

* * *

Stepping through the mess hall, Ethan spotted Ashley sitting at the table, eating dinner with a few other crewmen. Walking over to her, he asked, "Hey Ashley, have you seen the Commander?"

She shook her head, swallowing her food. "I haven't; though I heard Kaidan mention to someone else that he saw her enter her quarters a while ago and hasn't seen her leave since."

Nodding, he replied, "Thanks."

Formulating a plan in his mind, he grabbed two trays of food, and walked over to the door to Shepard's quarters. With the two trays precariously balanced in his hands, he gingerly bent down to nudge the panel with his elbow to chime Shepard. Just before he could press the chime, the door slid open, revealing a surprised Commander looking at him, bent over awkwardly towards the chime, one elbow by the door with his other arm held out as a counterbalance. Clearing his throat as he stood up, Ethan could feel the blush creeping up his cheeks as he looked everywhere but her eyes.

"Oh, uh, Commander. I had heard you, um, hadn't eaten yet, and I just thought I'd…"

He stopped talking as he realized the woman in front of him was snickering, her hand hiding the smile she was apparently unable to control. She took a few steps back, and gesturing, "Come in."

Smiling back at her, he stepped through the door, setting the two trays down on her small table. Looking down at the food, Ethan tried to start a conversation on something light, commenting on the military rations. "Well, looking at the food choices, I saw the options were limited to crap, dog food, and alien goop. So I went with crap, as it seemed like the least offensive choice."

Glancing up, he saw the Commander just staring at him. Unconsciously, he let a goofy smile overcome his face, something he knew would make her smile. Fortunately, it managed to work like a charm, causing Shepard to start laughing. He laughed with her as they both sat down, facing each other. When she regained control of herself, she looked up at him, and still smiling, asked, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

Her smile faded somewhat, as she elaborated, "How is it you manage to walk in here after twelve years and act as though it were just yesterday you were playing like an idiot in my kitchen back on Mindoir, making me laugh without a care in the world?"

His own smile fading, Ethan replied, "This is who I am; regardless of everything else, I never pretended to be anything other than who I was, and still am."

She looked down at her food, refusing to meet his gaze as she asked, "So, do you remember everything now?"

"No, I don't." Her eyes shot up in confusion as he spoke, "I have some of my memories; most of the ones involving you, actually. They're still pretty scrambled up, but it's better than nothing. I can't remember much yet of the twelve years since Mindoir." Ethan gasped lightly, "Oh, about that; I never told you why I ran off down in the wards earlier. You remember how I had a flashback down there, right?"

Shepard nodded, "Yes, I remember."

He leaned back in his seat, looking towards the interior of her room. "I had a flashback of when the Batarians first captured me on Mindoir. I saw them take a little girl, Sarah I think her name was… I saw them throw her into a Varren pit." Ethan could feel his hands shake as he spoke. "I could see them tear her apart, how quickly they cut off her screams…"

He could see out of the corner of his eye as she put her hands over her mouth in shock. "Oh Ethan…"

Taking a deep breath to keep himself calm, he continued. "When you mentioned that the meat they used in that pizza parlor was made with Varren meat, all I could think about was those Varren that killed Sarah. I had to get out of there." He let out a humorless laugh. "And just think, if I hadn't left when I did, I wouldn't have found that girl, Tali, with that evidence against Saren."

Shepard cleared her throat as she gladly took to the change of topic. "You always did seem to have a knack of being in the right place at the right time." After a few moments, she looked him in the eye. "Why didn't you come back, Ethan? Why didn't you try to find me and let me know you were still alive?"

"In a word? I don't know. I don't really remember much after the Batarians came. I know I left Mindoir in one of their slave ships. Beyond that…" Ethan shook his head, squeezing his eyes closed. "It's like having a tune that I know I've learned, and it's just at the tip of my tongue, but no matter what I do or how hard I try, I just can't get it. I'm sorry."

After a few moments, Shepard shook her head, forcing a smile. "That's ok. We'll just call a rain check on that conversation, until you get your memories back. For now, lets just enjoy the fact that you're here, alive and well, and you're with me." She stood up, and walked over to a small counter. "Let's celebrate with a drink."

She quickly poured two glasses of whiskey, before setting one in front of him. Holding the glass up, she thought for a moment before deciding on what to say.

"A toast to a happy reunion."

Ethan smiled as he held up his own glass. "I'll toast to that."

* * *

A few hours later, Ethan found himself sitting on the floor next to Shepard, both of them having opted to move to the floor so they could sit together, as well as lean against the wall for support. The Commander had spent much of the evening talking about her past, and what she had done since Mindoir. The bottle of whiskey had also disappeared between the two of them, leaving only an empty bottle remaining.

He wasn't sure how long they had both gone quiet, simply sitting there leaning against one another. At some point his arm had ended up around her shoulders, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. Glancing down, he realized with a start that she had fallen asleep, and was currently drooling down his chest. With a sigh, he gently scooped her up in his arms, and walked her over to her bed. Gingerly, he laid her down and pulled the covers over her sleeping form.

He turned to walk away, but heard her begin to toss and turn. Glancing down, he saw her face scrunched up, like she was having a nightmare. Stepping closer, he ran a hand down her cheek, almost immediately calming her. He tried to leave again, but was again met with the same results. With a resigned sigh, he sat himself down next to the bed, and took her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers. She immediately calmed down, seeming to fall into a deeper sleep. He did his best to make himself remotely comfortable, and rested his head against the wall, praying that he would be able to get some sleep despite his awkward position.

"Goodnight, Marie."

* * *

Kaidan could feel his annoyance level rising as he continued to stare at Shepard's door. He knew Ethan had walked in there some time ago, but he had yet to come out. The rest of the crew had come and gone throughout the dinner hour, but he had simply sat there, pushing his food around without any real appetite. Logically, he knew he shouldn't harbor any romantic feelings towards Shepard; Spectre or not, she was still a member of the Alliance, and fraternization was against regs, period.

Still, he thought as he glanced up at the door yet again, his heart wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to logic at the moment. He nearly jumped as he heard a door open behind him, and turned to see doctor Chakwas step out of the med-bay. She looked up in surprise when she noticed he was there.

"Kaidan? What are you doing up so late?"

He shrugged, trying and failing not to glance at the Commander's door. "Nothing. Just having trouble sleeping tonight."

Chakwas moved over to stand next to him, and gave him a knowing look. "I know you better than that, Lieutenant. The only thing that keeps you from sleeping is one of your migraines, and if that's what was bothering you, you would have been practically breaking down my door in search of pain killers."

Knowing he was caught, he let out a sigh. "How long has Ethan been in there? A few hours already? What is he doing with the Commander anyways?"

The doctor patted him on the shoulder as she replied. "Kaidan, those two knew each other on Mindoir. He didn't remember because of his amnesia, but some of that has gone away now. They were in love, Lieutenant. As much as it may hurt to hear it, once he was aboard this ship, she only had eyes for him." When Kaidan shot her an incredulous look, she elaborated, "Don't give me that look; I've been around enough young men my whole life to know when he's smitten with a girl."

Lieutenant Alenko nodded, resigned. "Yeah. Thanks, Karen."

She patted his shoulder again. "Go to bed, Kaidan. Unless of course you'd like to tempt fate with your migraines again by not getting enough sleep."

"Not a chance in hell." Chakwas' laughter filled the mess hall as the two of them walked away.

* * *

Shepard let out a soft moan as consciousness returned to her. She felt much better than she had in months, completely rested and relaxed. She moved to stretch, but realized one hand was impeded from moving. Looking down, she found Ethan's hand entwined with her own, the man in question asleep on the floor, leaning against the wall. With a smile, she slowly extracted her hand from his, and gently shook his shoulder.

"Ethan? Wake up."

* * *

"_Ethan, wake up!"_

_Opening his eyes, Ethan found himself lying in bed, staring up at Marie's smiling face, her long red hair tickling his nose. He playfully swatted it away, making the girl laugh as she pushed on his shoulder. _

"_Come on, Ethan; get up! Mom and dad are taking us all into town today for Christmas shopping. You promised you'd get me something."_

_His smile grew as he looked up at her. "Oh? Is that so? I don't remember making any promises like that…"_

_Marie gave him an indignant gasp, smacking his chest. "You did too, ass. Now get up."_

_He leaned up until the two of them were practically touching noses, the girl not moving away in the slightest. "I resemble that remark, thank you very much." _

_She laughed at his stupid joke, but stopped just enough for him to kiss her on the lips. As he pulled away, looking at her eyes, he heard her voice again, but something about it sounded different._

"_Wake up, Ethan."_

* * *

Ethan groggily came out of the dream/memory, feeling an ungodly kink in his neck as consciousness returned to him. He let out a groan as he dropped his head down, and tried massaging it. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone else's hands start massaging his neck for him.

"Relax, Ethan. Let me help."

Hearing Shepard's voice let him relax from what likely was about to become some sort of ingrained combat maneuver, if the way his body had tensed up was any indication. However, that thought rapidly disappeared as she rubbed the kink out of his neck. While her fingers kneaded the muscles, he croaked out, "Why?"

The woman scoffed as she replied, "You stayed here all night and held my hand, for some unfathomable reason. The least I can do is help rub your neck."

Ethan let out a sigh as she continued, and spoke, "You looked like you were having nightmares. You calmed down whenever I touched you, so I stayed and held your hand." He shrugged as he stared at the floor, mumbling, "I thought it would help."

Marie's hands left his neck and moved to his chin, lifting his head to look her in the eye. "It did help. Thank you." Shepard surprised him then by placing a kiss on his lips, taking his breath away. She smirked as she stood. "Now if you don't mind, I need to change."

He watched her walk away from him, unabashedly staring. "Nah, I think I've got a great view from right here."

She looked at him, eyes wide in shock. "You… you _ass!_"

Ethan could feel his grin growing as he replied, "Hey now; I resemble that remark."

He could see the surprise, amusement, and something else behind her eyes as she stood there. After a moment, she let out an indignant huff. "I don't know if I should be mad at you, throw something at you, or just laugh."

"Well, if you can't decide, just do all three; be mad and throw something at me, then laugh." She shot him a quizzical look. He just shrugged, "It sounded like a good idea to me. It cuts out the indecision, and you get to make yourself feel better."

She shook her head as she turned and began pulling out a clean uniform from her small closet. "Twelve years, and you still sound like the same dork you were back then. Did you grow up at all?"

This time it was Ethan's turn to scoff. "I sure as hell hope not. Sarcasm and humor make everything better; if I ever lost those, I think I'd spontaneously combust, or I'd certainly try, at the very least." He fell quiet as he realized Shepard had begun stripping off her uniform, her back towards him. "So, not going to kick me out, I take it?"

Marie stopped for a moment, her breath hitching, as she replied, "You've done more than just look, before; do you remember that?"

He nodded, even though she couldn't see. "Yes, I do remember. But it's been a long time; I'm not going to rush you into something you might not be ready for. I waited twelve years to see you and be with you again, for whatever reasons I may have had for staying away. What's a few weeks or months compared to that?" He noticed her shoulders beginning to shake, so he smirked as he continued, "Just don't expect me to cover my eyes while you strip in front of me. I may be patient, but I won't turn down a good show if you're offering."

Ethan smiled as Shepard nearly doubled over in laughter, bracing herself against the wall to keep from falling over. His startled laughter joined hers as he suddenly found a bra impacting against his face. "_You ass!_"

* * *

A/N: Yay for exposition.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Just as a note; while reading this, keep in mind that Marie Shepard is not a machine, and has actual human worries and concerns. She is not perfect, she is a flawed human being, just like the rest of us. So if you think she sounds too emotional or too human in private moments away from the crew, please remember the above statement.

I have absolutely no idea why I'm writing so much in such a short span of time. Maybe my brain has (finally) broken or something.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 5

Ethan managed to keep a straight face as he sat down in the briefing room, ignoring the smirk visible on Ashley's face. He could tell she wanted to ask him more than a few questions, and he had a feeling that none of them would be questions he wanted to answer. Thankfully, Commander Shepard stepped through the door barely a few moments later, her 'authority mask' in place.

"Our first mission is to locate one Liara T'soni, daughter of Matriarch Benezia. We know that Benezia is working with or for Saren, so acquiring her daughter could prove helpful to us."

Ashley smirked, "Is this a seek and destroy, Commander?"

Shepard shook her head, "No, we're going for capture, if possible. T'soni is a leading Prothean expert. We could use her knowledge to give us an edge against Saren."

Ethan could see that the Chief wasn't thrilled with the revelation, but she merely nodded her ascent.

Shepard turned her gaze towards him as she continued. "Ethan, your fighter hasn't been fully repaired yet, so you'll be on the ground team, along with Garrus, Tali and Wrex. I want to get a feel for all of your combat abilities, and this should be a relatively simple mission, just in and out. A good warm-up exercise, if you will."

He heard Wrex mutter under his breath. "Just so long as I get to kill something."

Ethan spoke up before anyone else could continue, "I thought the Normandy wasn't equipped to handle my fighter, Commander?"

The Commander shrugged, "Alliance command decided to install a launch rail into the Normandy's hangar."

Still confused, he asked, "Where exactly in the hangar was there room to install a _fighter launch rail_?"

At this, Shepard smirked, "They figured we could add it onto its own platform hanging just below the ceiling, instead of taking up valuable floor space. So your launch rail is hanging low enough from the ceiling to give your fighter about six inches of clearance from the ceiling." She paused as she looked around the room. "Any other questions?"

When no one else spoke up, she nodded.

"We'll be at Therum in about five hours. Relax, grab some food, and make sure you're ready to drop in four and a half hours. Dismissed."

Ethan stayed in his seat as everyone else filed out of the conference room, leaving just himself and Shepard there. He didn't notice Kaidan give him a look as he walked past, as his eyes stayed locked with the Commander's.

As soon as the door closed, he let out a sigh, rubbing his neck. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize about this morning-"

Shepard cut him off. "There's nothing to apologize for. We sat and talked and fell asleep. It's not like anything else happened."

Ethan nodded, smiling. "Yeah, you're right."

After a moment, the Commander began to shift nervously, her eyes moving to look at the other side of the room. "Though there is something I've been meaning to ask since last night."

Becoming concerned, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Yes?"

Commander Shepard turned to look at him out of the corner of her eyes, almost as though she were afraid of the answer. "Are you still interested in… us?" He didn't reply at first, which caused her to stand up and begin pacing, rambling nervously. "I know that it's been a long time, twelve years in fact, and I didn't want to pressure you into anything. I-"

She stopped suddenly as she turned around and found Ethan standing there, barely inches away from her. Gently, he took ahold of her cheeks with his hands, and pulled her in for a kiss. He held the kiss for a few moments, noting that Shepard had stopped breathing, before pulling away. He then moved his head next to hers, whispering. "Yes, I'm interested."

As he stepped away, he had to resist the urge to smirk as she appeared visibly shaken, and had to take a few moments to collect herself to look professional again. However, she continued to smile the entire time she did so. Clearing her throat, she replied, "Well… I'm glad to hear it. I, uh… I have some things I need to do to… prepare for later. For the mission."

Finally smiling, Ethan nodded, "By all means, don't stay here purely on my account, Marie." He paused, and asked, "I am allowed to call you by your first name, right?"

Shepard hesitated a moment, before replying, "In private I don't mind, but in front of the crew I would appreciate it if you called me by my last name, or my rank. I don't want people thinking you get any special privileges compared to them."

"I can do that." Leaning in, he kissed Marie on the cheek before stepping back, turning towards the door. "I'm going to head down to the hangar. I haven't had a chance to talk with your ground crew yet, so I figure I'll take the morning and get to know a few of them."

The Commander nodded. "That's a good idea, Ethan. Did you want to meet up for lunch before the drop?"

"Sure. I'll see you then."

With that, the two of them left the conference room, each of them moving in separate directions. Ethan wasted no time in moving towards the lower levels, walking down the stairs at a rather brisk pace. He had hardly pressed the button to close the elevator doors when Ashley Williams stepped in, trapping him in the elevator with the smiling woman.

"So Ethan, I happened to hear that you spent the night in the Commander's quarters last night."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Going for the tactfully subtle approach, I see."

He heard the woman scoff at him. "Come on; how exactly am I supposed to _tactfully_ ask if you slept with the Commander last night?!"

Ethan thought about that for a few moments, before shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you have a point there. But to answer your question, did I sleep in her quarters? Yes. Did I have sex with her? No."

Ashley gave him a confused look. "Did you just cuddle all night or something?"

"Not exactly. We had dinner, we shared a drink, she fell asleep; I carried her to her bed, and as I tried to leave, noticed she started having nightmares." With a resigned sigh, just knowing what would come next after this admission, finished, "So I slept on the floor all night holding her hand so she could sleep better."

There was an awkward pause, before he heard Ashley speak in a low voice, which quickly rose in pitch as she spoke. "Oh… my… gosh, that is _so cute!_"

Looking up at the ceiling, Ethan asked to no one in particular, "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret saying anything to you about it at all?"

Ashley gave him an almost offended look. "Why would you regret telling me something like that?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Because I don't feel like being accosted by every woman and glared at by every man aboard the Normandy. I don't exactly want every single detail of my relationship with the Commander broadcast to the entire ship."

The Chief smirked, "Relax. I wasn't going to tell the entire ship."

Ethan finally turned to look at the woman. "You weren't?"

She shook her head. "Nope; I have sisters, you know. I know how to keep secrets when the occasion calls for it." She laughed, "That said, I think you should know that Kaidan had a _huge_ crush on the Commander before you showed up."

He couldn't help but smirk at that, commenting, "Good for him, aside from the fact that he doesn't stand a chance with her. Something I highly doubt anyone knows is that I very nearly proposed to her…" His smile vanished as he spoke, "I almost proposed to her right before the Batarians hit Mindoir. Another five minutes and she would have had the ring on her finger." His brow furrowed as he thought back on that night. "You know, I never did figure out what happened to that ring; I'm pretty sure I lost it when the Batarians captured me."

Ashley spoke in a low voice as she asked, "Do you think they took the ring?"

He shook his head. "No, they made a point to show off whatever valuables they took from us. I never saw any of them with the ring." Shrugging, he made himself smile, changing the subject. "It doesn't matter now. Anyways, I would appreciate it if you could keep all of this quiet, ok?"

Williams nodded, "Sure thing. Thanks for the chat."

"No problem." Finally, the elevator door slid open, allowing the two of them to disembark from the cab of the elevator. Ethan walked over towards the Mako, seeing Garrus standing there working on a console. "Hello, Officer Vakarian."

The Turian smirked as he turned to face him. "Please, just call me Garrus. _Officer Vakarian_ sounds like my father."

He smirked back, "Ok, Garrus. I just wanted to thank you for your help down in the wards."

Garrus simply shrugged, folding his arms as he did so. "I didn't help so much as tagged along. Oh, by the way, I thought you had an interesting way of explaining your methods to the Council."

Ethan tried to hide his trepidation as he asked, "Oh?"

The Turian's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "Yes; the part where you made it sound like our chance meeting was planned. Or the part where Commander Shepard seemed absolutely clueless about your being 'on assignment' per her order."

Without thinking, Ethan shot back, "This coming from a C-Sec officer who doesn't mind flaunting the rules to catch a criminal?"

Garrus' eyes grew wide, practically whispering, "How do you know that?"

Mentally kicking himself, he thought quickly as he replied, "Your reputation isn't exactly secret, Garrus. All you have to do is know where to look and you can find out just about anything about anyone." Seeing the suspicious look the Turian was shooting him, Ethan did his best to deflect the conversation. "Look, I'm not saying I have anything against you, Garrus. I actually have a lot of respect for your abilities. But sometimes things aren't always black and white in the galaxy. There's a hell of a lot of shades of grey in between."

Garrus seemed to be reappraising him as he spoke, "I suppose you raise a valid point."

Shifting his weight, Ethan smirked as he replied, "Besides, do you really think the Council would have looked as favorably upon the evidence if I had said I just happened to stumble across the three right people on a station filled with millions purely on happenstance?"

Letting out a slight humming sound, made all the more distinct by his flanged voice, Garrus answered, "When you put it like that, probably not." Looking down at his console, Garrus asked, "I have a few things I need to finish before the mission, so we'll talk more later, if that's acceptable to you?"

Ethan nodded, "Sure. Later works for me."

Stepping away, he barely turned around before realizing a very large Krogan was standing not three feet from him, his blood-red eyes gazing directly at him. "Ethan."

"Wrex?"

In a flash, Ethan's mind began filling with images, memories he hadn't yet remembered.

* * *

_Ethan smirked as he smacked the Krogan on the shoulder. "Wrex."_

_The massive beast simply rolled his eyes as he readied his shotgun. "Ethan."_

"_So, ready to go take out a few targets?"_

_The Krogan shot him a bemused look. "More ready than you are, Pyjak. We sticking to the usual wager?"_

_Ethan's smirk turned into a smile as he laughed, "Of course. I need to earn back that money you took from me playing Skyllian Five."_

_At this, Wrex actually barked out a laugh. "Dream on. You couldn't get more kills than me no matter who trained you to jump around like a Pyjak, Pyjak."_

_Idly twirling his combat knife in one hand, Ethan couldn't help but continue to jab at the Krogan. "Not even a Drell assassin like Thane Krios?" All Wrex did in response was grunt, making Ethan laugh again. As a green light turned on just above the shuttle door, all joviality disappeared, and both armored beings prepped their guns. "Jumping in five."_

_Wrex stepped up to the hatch in the shuttle, getting in one last comment as they sealed their helmets in place. "Good luck with that landing pack, Pyjak."_

_With that, the door flew open, wind whipping at the occupants of the shuttle bay. Without a second thought, both of them jumped out of the shuttle into the open air. The noxious atmosphere created a slight haze, limiting their visibility. Beneath them, Ethan could see a small outpost of some kind, a pair of land vehicles parked outside. Using his helmet's optics, he zoomed in, and smiled as he realized their Intel was correct; a Blue Suns insignia was visible on the vehicles._

_As they approached the ground, Ethan saw Wrex flare his biotics, rapidly slowing his own descent. With a command to his Omni-tool, Ethan's landing pack activated, creating an artificial biotic field around him as it simultaneously opened a small parachute. Within seconds, the two of them both hit the ground, weapons coming up simultaneously as they moved into the compound. _

_Ethan brought up his Omni-tool, the device linking to and hacking the compound door as Wrex guarded them both, scanning the horizon for enemy movement. Within moments, the door lock turned green, allowing them both entry. They moved in together, weapons at the ready. Ethan moved to the left while Wrex moved right, a loud booming noise indicating that the Krogan's shotgun had found his first target. _

_As a guard stepped into Ethan's view, he activated his tactical cloak, quickly jumping up onto a short crate to gain elevation. Running towards the guard, he gripped his pistol and knife tighter, and launched himself the rest of the distance. Smashing into the guard with his knees, he used his momentum to drive his knife through the guard's armor, piercing the human's neck. With a twist, the guard stopped moving, and he jumped up, bringing his pistol up for a point blank shot into a Salarian's faceplate. _

_Jumping forward between to sets of crates, Ethan found himself between two other guards. As the first guard raised his shotgun, Ethan sidestepped his gun, the shot hitting his companion and taking down his shields, peppering his armor with tiny pellets. Using the first guard as a brace, he used his momentum to throw his knife into the other guard's helmet, dropping him. Momentarily dropping his pistol, he took the first guard's head between his hands, and twisted, snapping his neck. _

_Scooping his pistol up, he ran and yanked his knife out of the Turian's head, continuing on until he found himself face to face with a Batarian, carrying a large bladed weapon that he wasn't familiar with. He holstered his pistol, smirking to himself as he recognized the telltale sign of poison on his opponent's blade. He let the Batarian make the first move, swinging the large weapon towards his head. _

_Leaning back, Ethan let his blade pass by, the Batarian losing his balance from the lack of hitting anything. With a backwards jab, Ethan stuck his knife in the Batarian's hip, causing the alien to roar out in pain. He avoided another jab, before stomping down on his knee, causing the leg to snap backwards. The Batarian dropped the blade in pain, gasping. Grabbing the alien's poisoned blade, he rammed it into his crotch, making sure the blade bit into the Batarian's flesh._

_As the alien fell to the ground and writhed in pain, he quickly took his weapons and threw them away, out of reach, before using his knife and stabbing both of the Batarian's hands through the palms, ignoring the alien's screams. As he stepped back, he realized that he didn't hear any more sounds of fighting. The thought made him smirk, realizing that Wrex had taken care of everyone else. The Batarian struggled to remain conscious, looking up at him and asked, "W-why?!"_

_Ethan knelt down, took his helmet off, and pulling out a short cylinder, replied, "Because of Mindoir, you piece of slaver scum; and more importantly, because of Sarah, Tarak!"_

_He turned the cylinder on, causing it to glow a bright orange, the air around it immediately turning wavy due to the heat. With no hesitation, he jammed the cylinder into the Batarian's upper left eye, the smell of melting flesh immediately assaulting his sense of smell. Tarak's screams simply passed by his ears, unheard, as he violated the Batarian's skull with the scorch-stick, a Batarian designed torture device. _

_As the screams died away, Ethan stood up, and with a sigh, threw down the scorch-stick, and turned around, only to find Wrex standing there, one eye-ridge quirked. "Feel better?"_

_With one last glance at Tarak's smoking face, he smirked and looked back. "Yeah. I feel a hell of a lot better. You get the Intel the Broker needs?"_

_The Krogan merely held up a data disc, a smile on his own reptilian face. "Let's get out of here; I could use a drink. I'll buy."_

_Ethan laughed as he smacked the Krogan's shoulder. "Not a chance in hell; the last time you tried that one on me you nearly killed me with a mug of Ryncol."_

_Their laughter was the last sound to pass through the halls of the now devastated outpost._

* * *

As Ethan came back to his senses, he found himself sitting on the floor with his back to the Mako, Garrus kneeling by his side and Wrex staring down at him, having the decency to at least look remotely concerned.

After a moment, Wrex leaned down and offered a hand to him. "Ethan?"

Taking the hand, he stood with a grunt, smacking the Krogan on the shoulder with a wide grin. "Wrex! You ugly bastard, what're you doing here?"

Ethan ignored the numerous gasps he heard come from throughout the hangar, as the Krogan stood in front of him, regarding him for a moment. Eventually, Wrex returned the smile, smacking Ethan back on the shoulder. "Heard there was some gutless Turian that needed killing, thought I'd tag along. What's your excuse, Pyjak?"

He shrugged, ignoring the sting of the Krogan's 'friendly' pat on the shoulder. "Escaped a Cerberus facility with no memories, saved Commander Shepard on Eden Prime, and decided to stick around. I'm getting most of my memories back, bit by bit, though."

Wrex smirked as he replied, "That would explain why you dropped to the floor like most Salarians usually do when they get a close look at me." The Krogan regarded him with a keen eye. "So you don't remember everything yet?"

Ethan smirked, "I remember you still owe me eighty five credits from our last bet." He laughed as Wrex grimaced.

"Damn; figured I wouldn't be that lucky. Bastard."

At that moment, Garrus interjected, "Ethan, if you knew Wrex from before, why didn't you recognize him up in the briefing?"

Wrex interrupted before he could reply, rolling his eyes. "Probably because his eyes were glued to the Commander, gizzard-brain."

Ethan scoffed. "They were not!"

The Krogan smirked as he replied, "I counted the number of times you looked away from her the entire briefing on one hand." He held up his three-fingered hand to prove his point.

He waved the Krogan off. "Yeah, yeah, go fuck yourself, lizard-lips."

Wrex's smirk grew, "You first, Pyjak."

Garrus interrupted again, "Exactly how does a human like you talk to a Krogan like that and not end up a smear on the wall?"

Krogan's jovial nature turned to anger in a heartbeat as he rounded on the Turian. "Because Ethan earned my respect. Something many lesser beings _wish_ they were capable of."

Garrus sneered at Wrex. "I doubt the respect of a _Krogan_ would be worth much to any self-respecting intelligent being."

Ethan's eyes widened when he saw Wrex's fist begin to glow. Without pause, he stepped between the two aliens, and put his face almost directly against Wrex's face. "Relax, Wrex. I highly doubt the Commander would be thrilled with you if you pasted Garrus's guts all over her hangar."

The Krogan glared at him, before backing off with a snort. "You're probably right." His eyes moved up towards Garrus, half-snarling, "We'll _talk_ later, _Turian._"

With that, Wrex stomped off towards the opposite side of the hangar, leaving Ethan standing there. He immediately rounded on the Turian, heatedly whispering, "Are you out of your mind?!"

Garrus looked at him, surprised. "Excuse me?"

Ethan continued, "Trying to piss off a _biotic Krogan warlord_ who has been alive longer than the last five generations of your entire family is tantamount to committing suicide! Not only that, Wrex is one of the smartest Krogan I know; smarter than some C-Sec officers I've met." He gave Garrus a pointed look with the statement. "The fact that he can control himself as well as he does, despite his physiology, ought to tell you how strong-willed he is. He's also as stubborn as hell. Trying to pick a fight with him is dangerous to your long-term health."

The Turian brushed him off, turning back to his console. "He's just a Krogan. No Krogan I've ever met has ever been that smart."

Feeling his own temper rising, Ethan responded, "And what if I said you were just a Turian, hm?" Garrus's head shot around, fixing his eyes on him as he continued, "After all, the Turians attacked humanity for a law we didn't know existed. So hey, all Turians must be trigger happy and blood-thirsty, right?"

"That's not-"

Ethan didn't let him speak, cutting him off, "It hurts being categorized because of who and what you are, doesn't it? Having someone say you must be like all the rest, just because of your skin and DNA. It's like saying all Asari are stripper whores, or all Salarians are shifty lying bastards. It would be like saying that you simply follow any order you're given, just because you're a Turian." He could tell that Garrus was beginning to see his point, so he finished his statement in a quiet voice. "You want to know how I gained Wrex's respect? I treated him with respect, I didn't get offended when he verbally prodded at me, and I didn't cower in fear simply because he's bigger than me. You should try it sometime. You might get further than you think."

With that, Ethan turned and walked away, not looking to see if Garrus was even considering his advice. He was truly annoyed, and at that moment could understand Wrex's feelings for wanting to brutally murder something, just for the stress relief. He was making his way to the elevator when he heard a girl's voice timidly speak out. "Do you really feel that way?"

Turning, he found himself looking at Tali, almost hiding around the corner in the hall to engineering. "Feel what way?"

She stepped closer to him. "That you don't judge people because of their race? Because of what they are?"

Ethan's brow furrowed. "Of course not. Sure, with many alien races, they tend to be less diverse than humans, but that doesn't mean that every Turian or every Asari are the same. There are good people and bad people in every race, every species. That's not to say most members of a species don't share similar biases or hatreds, but it's not universal."

Tali seemed to think on that, before nodding. "Thank you."

Now he was confused. "For what?"

The Quarian's body language seemed more confident as she replied. "For showing me that there are some people in the galaxy who do not judge me because of my ancestor's mistakes."

With that, Tali practically ran back into engineering, leaving Ethan to stand there, absolutely befuddled. Shaking his head, he moved back towards the elevator. Before he could get there, someone stepped up to him. "Ethan Barrow?"

Turning, he found himself facing the requisitions officer. "Yes?"

The man handed him a box. "This was in the last load of supplies for you. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Ethan took the box, and nodded, "Thanks."

Stepping into the elevator, he pressed the button, and began opening the box as the door slid closed. His eyes opened wide as he realized his journal entries were sitting within the box, as well as a brand new Omni-tool. Slipping the small device over his wrist, he began looking through the box again, digging through the pile of what had to be his personal belongings. He made a mental note to ask the Shadow Broker how he got his personal belongings to him so quickly.

Digging down towards the bottom of the box, Ethan's hand brushed up against something metal. Pulling it out, he gasped as he found what had to be his knife; a seven-inch long blade, a straight edge on the front, serrated along the back, with his name laser engraved in the metal in some kind of cursive font. Looking at the blade, he realized the knife had a slight bluish tint to it, as though it were tempered with element zero inside the metal.

Pulling a piece of paper off of the sheath, he unfolded it, and read the short note.

_Ethan,_

_This isn't your original knife, but the spare you had stored in your Citadel safe house. Take good care of it. It isn't cheap._

_SB_

He smiled as he looked over the blade again, before sheathing it and putting it back into the box. He closed the lid to the box as the elevator slowed, and stood up with it in hand as the door slid open. He was quick to move towards the Commander's quarters, wanting to have privacy to look through his belongings. He gave a courteous nod to Kaidan as he passed the mess hall, before knocking on Shepard's door. A moment later, the door slid open. She smiled as she saw him, but her confusion was evident as she saw the box. "What's that?"

Ethan didn't reply until he entered the room, the door closing behind him. Setting it down, he let out a sigh. "I wasn't sure how to approach this before I remembered about… us… but you deserve to know. I was an Agent for the Shadow Broker at some point after Mindoir. I'm not sure what all he had me do, but he contacted me when I went to Valern's office. He sent me my journal entries so I could try to remember my whole past. I have started to remember a couple of things, though."

He stayed facing the wall, afraid to know what Shepard was thinking. After a few moments, he felt her hand on his shoulder, spinning him around. Looking at her, she placed a hand on his cheek. "What do you remember?"

Looking over her shoulder towards the wall in thought. "When I went down to the hangar, I happened to bump into Wrex. That jarred loose a memory of me working with him on a mission for the Broker. Some sort of Intel pickup." He smirked a bit as he recalled, "I may or may not have found one of the bastards from Mindoir."

Marie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You did? How do you know?"

"I remembered hearing one of them calling that four-eyed dirt bag by the name of Tarak. I used that to track him with the help of the Broker… or at least I think I did. Either way, the Broker got his Intel, and I scrambled that fucker's head with one of their own scorch-sticks."

He didn't realize how aggressive he sounded until he noticed the look Shepard was giving him. "Ethan… why do I get the feeling that he wasn't the first Batarian you've killed?"

His eyes grew wide as he looked down at his own hands, not entirely comfortable with where his mind had just been. "I… I don't know where that came from, Marie. I just… I feel..."

She took his hands in hers, locking eyes with him. "Ethan, don't go thinking down that train of thought. You've already taken things faster than is probably healthy in recovering your memories. I don't know how long you spent at the hands of the Batarians, but lets just keep those memories locked away for now, ok? How about you tell me about this mission you had with Wrex?"

Ethan smiled as he recalled it. "I don't remember much leading up to the assault, but I remember he and I jumping out of a shuttle. I used some kind of landing pack that mixed a parachute with an eezo core. Then the two of us infiltrated the outpost, which was controlled by the Blue Suns at the time, and we took out everyone there. I think it was the first time I ever really relied solely on my own abilities instead of superior weaponry. I remember the thrill I felt when I managed to pull off everything from my training without eating a bullet in the process."

Shepard nodded, her hands gently squeezing his. "So you knew Wrex from before?"

"Yeah, I did. I think he occasionally does work for the Shadow Broker, when the need arises. I don't remember much beyond that mission, but I think he and I worked together more than just that mission. Especially after talking with him earlier." Pulling one hand away to look at his Omni-tool, Ethan swore. "We're running later than I thought; we should go grab some food before the mission."

Shepard nodded, seemingly hesitant to let go of his other hand. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ethan smiled as he stepped closer to her, kissing her. "Thank you for being so understanding."

Marie waved off the compliment, as she finally pulled away, moving towards the door. "It's nothing, Ethan. Now, let's go eat; we've got a mission to get ready for."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's the chapter. Blargh.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 6

Ethan did his best to control the knot in his gut as he strapped himself into the back compartment of the Mako. Glancing over, he saw Wrex smirking at him, already set in place for the drop. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Something funny, Wrex?"

The Krogan nodded. "Yeah; just seeing if you still panic before a high altitude jump."

He narrowed his eyes as he replied, "I don't panic, you oversized toad. Besides, last I recall, I actually _like_ high altitude jumps."

Wrex just smiled wider. "Sure, once you work up the nerve to actually jump. It's the time _before_ you jump that you get all nervous and shaky."

Ethan just rolled his eyes. "Sure. Fuck you too."

The Krogan Warlord was quick to retort. "No thanks; you're not my type."

He sputtered as Garrus, Tali and even Shepard laughed. "That's my line, you dirty Varren fucking whore!"

Before Wrex could say anything more, the Commander turned back from the pilot's seat. "You actually use that line? More importantly, you remember using that line?"

Ethan nodded, "Yeah, I even remember saying it a time or two… or seventeen…"

Joker's voice sounded out through the speakers. "_Thirty seconds to drop. You all tucked in nice and tight down there?_"

The Broker operative heard Shepard reply to the pilot, but Tali's voice caught his attention. "You two are very… peculiar."

Wrex looked at the Quarian with a look of amusement as Ethan replied, "And how exactly are we peculiar?"

Being the focus of the entire conversation, Tali began to fidget in her seat as she spoke, "W-well, most humans I've seen tend to stay as far away from Krogan as they can, and I don't usually see many Krogan. The few I did see on the Citadel tended to stay away from any aliens at all. They were never friendly to any alien that I saw."

Ethan just smiled as he responded to her statement. "Well Tali, Wrex and I have worked together a number of times, and once you trust someone to cover your ass in a firefight, pointless things like being a different species tend to not matter anymore." He turned and gave Wrex a respectful nod, which the Krogan returned. "When you're willing to put your life into another person's hands, they become like brothers, regardless of race, age, or anything else." Ethan's solemn face turned into a smirk as he finished, "Not to mention the amount of carnage the two of us can cause is way more than either of us could manage on our own. Especially when we both start brainstorming on crazy ideas. Stick around us for a while, you might get some ideas of your own."

Wrex snorted, his smile betraying his amusement. "Speak for yourself; I can cause a hell of a lot of my own carnage."

Ethan's smile grew as he shot back, "But who else in their right mind would trust you enough for a Hail Mary?"

At this, the Krogan actually looked thoughtful. "…Probably no one I've ever known. Not any of the sane ones, anyway…"

Garrus finally piped up, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What exactly is this 'Hail Mary' thing?"

The light in the Mako shifted, the wind roaring outside as the hangar bay opened up. Ethan smirked at the Turian. "Just make sure you're on a mission with Wrex and I when there's a lot of enemies. You'll get to see firsthand that way."

A few moments later, the Mako shot out of the hangar bay, gravity grabbing ahold of the vehicle as it fell through the atmosphere. Ethan began to laugh as Tali let out a squeal of surprise, the young Quarian gripping her harness with a death grip. Shooting a look at Wrex, the two of them fist bumped, laughing as they fell through the air. Almost immediately after that, the thrusters beneath the Mako activated, rapidly slowing the vehicle's descent, until they eventually touched down, a jolt passing through the hull.

Garrus eyed Ethan and Wrex as they both laughed, asking, "…exactly how long have you two known each other?"

Still smiling, Ethan answered, "A number of years, and dozens of missions together."

Wrex shot a retort towards him, "Yeah, and we would have still been going on missions if you hadn't gone and went missing for a year." Seeing the awkward look that passed Ethan's face, the Krogan asked, "What? You still don't remember that part?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't. I don't remember a lot of my time working for the Shadow Broker. I've gotten bits and pieces back, but as for why I went missing…"

He would have said more, but Shepard spoke up, "We've got a Geth drop ship incoming! Tali, take the turret!"

The Quarian spoke with more venom in her tone than Ethan ever thought possible. "With pleasure."

Tali quickly released her harness, trying to climb up from the back of the Mako towards the turret controls. However, the vehicle suddenly jerked, throwing her into Ethan. He immediately wrapped his arms around her to keep her from being thrown around any further. As the vehicle leveled off, Ethan suddenly realized that Tali was straddling him, clinging to his harness, his hands on the small of her back. They locked eyes, and he couldn't help but blush profusely. The Quarian's stuttering made him think she was blushing as well beneath her visor. "I, uh, um, thank you, for, uh, catching me, hm, Ethan…"

He quickly let go of her, allowing her to stand and nodding as he looked anywhere but at her as he replied, "No problem."

As the girl much more quickly ran up towards the turret, Ethan looked over to see Wrex grinning at him. "What's the matter, Pyjak? Not into Quarians?" The Krogan leaned forward as he whispered conspiratorially. "Or is it that you _are _into Quarians?"

He narrowed his eyes as he replied to Wrex's comment. "I swear, I will physically take your gun from you and beat you to death with it. I won't even give you the respect to shoot you first."

Garrus eyed the two of them as the Mako's cannon fired round after round, the Krogan smirking and the human glaring. Eventually, he spoke, turning to Ethan, "So how many of those missions do you remember? The ones where you worked with Wrex?"

"A few; why?"

The Turian shrugged as he replied, "I was just wondering. Maybe you'd be willing to share one or two of them later, after the mission? I'd like to know a bit more of how well a human and a Krogan work together." He smirked as he replied, his mandibles twitching, "There's not exactly a long list of successful partnerships between Krogan and any other Council species."

Wrex seemed suspicious as he looked at Garrus. "Why do you care, Turian? Wanting to find something you can try to exploit, to make my life more miserable than it already is?"

Garrus seemed genuinely surprised at the accusation, eyes widening and mandibles flaring out. "What? No, I'm just curious. Life at C-Sec always was pretty boring, and good stories were few and far between. There's only so many times you can listen to someone talk about stopping a mugging or catching a pick pocket before all the stories start sounding the same."

Wrex didn't seem fully convinced, but the Krogan turned away, satisfied enough with the answer to let it drop. The back compartment of the Mako fell silent as the three of them simply sat and waited, the engine roaring at times, and the cannon periodically shaking the hull. Ethan let out a sigh as he began twiddling his fingers in boredom. After a few moments, he let out a huff, speaking to no one in particular, "You know, if I had known it was going to be _this_ boring, I might have opted to stay aboard the ship."

Shepard let out a few choice profanities as she suddenly jerked the wheel to one side, before yelling out, "I'm sorry your ride isn't as _entertaining_ as you'd hoped; if you're that bored, you can always get out and fight these Geth armatures on foot!"

Wrex smirked as he patted his shotgun in his lap. "I'd be all for it."

Ethan rolled his eyes, smiling as he called up towards the front, "No thanks. I'd hate to have Wrex and I make you look bad with our mad combat skills."

Suddenly, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, and Shepard turned towards him, a mischievous grin on her face. "Ok then; we're at a checkpoint of some kind, and I need someone to go open the gate. Feeling bored enough to want to take care of it?"

Meeting her gaze, Ethan released his harness. "Which building is it?"

At this, the Commander just shrugged. "Not sure; there's only three buildings, so it has to be one of the three. Pick one, and see what you can find."

Standing up, he turned to Wrex, lightly smacking his knee. "You coming?"

The Krogan smirked as he stood up, his harness already released. "Of course I am. Even if there's nothing to kill, these seats hurt my ass."

Garrus stood up as well as he could, hunched over. "I'll cover you from the Mako."

Ethan smirked at the Turian as he crawled past him towards the hatch. "You just want an excuse to stand up too, I take it?"

Garrus lightly chuckled, "Of course. Wrex's ass isn't the only one that doesn't fit in these damnably small seats."

Each of the three of them let out a sigh of relief as they exited the Mako, standing and stretching their backs. Pulling out his vindicator rifle, Ethan walked towards the building he guessed had the controls for the gate, with Wrex following directly behind him. He was careful as he neared the door, keeping his gun at the ready. Glancing into the building, he noticed there wasn't much light, but didn't see any movement. Stepping through the door, he slowly moved through towards the opposite side of the room, towards what looked like the gate controls. Before he could activate them, a mechanical sounding voice startled him, causing him to spin around.

"_Barrow Agent._" Turning, he saw a Geth hunter decloak. He brought his gun to bear, but hesitated when he realized the Geth did not have its gun out. Before he could analyze the situation, the Geth spoke, "_Barrow Agent, you did not send the signal as you said you would._"

Brow furrowing in confusion, he lowered his gun slightly, noticing Wrex watching the exchange with interest. "What signal?"

The Geth's head tilted to one side, as though in confusion. "_You informed the Geth that you would send a signal to indicate when you were near, so we would be able to pull some of our forces back._"

Now completely baffled, Ethan lowered his gun completely. "Uh… Geth… I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I'm suffering from some kind of amnesia, after being captured by Cerberus about a year ago."

The Geth's eye seemed to whir, as though it were processing the information. "_Amnesia: loss of a large block of interrelated memories; complete or partial loss of memory caused by brain injury, shock, etc._" The Geth hunter looked between Wrex and himself. "_Barrow Agent does not remember._"

Quirking an eyebrow, he replied, "That's what I said, yes."

Stepping closer, the hunter spoke, "_Then we will inform you. Barrow Agent came to us approximately ten years, five months, three days, four hours, eighteen minutes and forty three seconds ago, telling us of the coming of the Old Machines. You warned us of the intentions of the Old Machines, as well as the end result of the war with the old machines. You helped warn us about it all, including the intentions of the Creators during the coming war. You told us that with the help of the Shadow Broker, you had formulated a plan. We listened, and through consensus, deemed it an acceptable plan._"

Ethan's other eyebrow rose. "I had a plan?"

"_Yes. You would utilize the aid of the Geth in better preparing against the Old Machines' return._"

"Then why are you helping Saren and Sovereign?"

The Geth hesitated, before responding, "_To preserve the timeline. Some Geth volunteered themselves to aid the Old Machine, in order to preserve the linear flow of time, as well as to analyze everything they could about Nazara, and send the data to the rest of the Geth collective._"

Before Ethan could ask anything more, Wrex interrupted. "I'm curious about this supposed 'signal' Ethan was supposed to send you. What signal would that be?"

The Geth hunter turned towards the Krogan. "_If Barrow Agent was to serve aboard the Normandy, he told us that he would transmit a signal to us informing us of when they would be near a location. This would allow us to pull out some of our forces from those locations, in order to both preserve a portion of our forces, as well as ease the difficulty our forces would pose against Shepard Commander's mission to stop Saren and Nazara._"

The Krogan nodded, seemingly satisfied. Ethan turned towards him, speaking, "You don't seem as surprised at all of this as you should be…"

Wrex turned to him, a sad half-smile on his face. "The Geth weren't the only ones you told about the future, Ethan. But that's a conversation we can have later." Glancing at the door, Wrex continued, "We need to hurry, before Shepard get's impatient enough to get nosy."

As Ethan turned back towards the Geth hunter, it spoke, "_Time is short, Barrow Agent. We will contact you again._"

With that, the Geth disappeared, activating its tactical cloak. The Broker Agent couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration. "I am really starting to wish I could remember what the fuck I was up to these past twelve years."

Wrex just patted him on the shoulder. "Relax, Pyjak. It'll come back to you." The Krogan smirked as he added, "That, or it won't, and I'll get to torment you with all the things you don't remember, maybe make up a few things that didn't actually happen, just to fuck with your head."

Ethan glared at the Krogan as he slammed his fist down on the control unit to the gate. "Do that, and I swear I'll make your life miserable."

Wrex didn't reply, other than to continue to smirk as they walked out of the small building. Garrus watched them from where he was, leaning against the side of the Mako. "Are you two finally done? I was beginning to wonder if you got lost."

Ethan heard Wrex inhale to make some sort of retort, so he cut in and said something before the Krogan could, "Nah, we just had to improvise in there. The controls were a little different than most standard hardware. We just didn't have to contact the hierarchy or C-Sec headquarters to get permission forms in triplicate before we could do anything about it."

Garrus just rolled his eyes as he let out a sigh, ignoring the Krogan's snickering. "Ha ha, I'm just dying from laughter here."

Ethan pat the Turian's shoulder as he stepped into the Mako, "Better be careful, then; I know I'm not the one who'll give you CPR if you pass out. I'll leave that up to Wrex."

The Broker Agent laughed as he heard both Garrus and Wrex simultaneously gag.

* * *

Ethan resisted the urge to let out a groan as the Mako jumped over yet another rock, avoiding a hail of gunfire. "Are we there yet?"

Shepard just let out a sigh, before responding. "No, for the eighteenth time, we are not there yet, so stop asking."

Shooting a glare towards the front of the vehicle, he shot back, "If I didn't feel like I was getting _seasick_ back here, I wouldn't be asking that so often!"

The Commander's tone turned amused as she defended herself, "Oh come on, Ethan. My driving's not that bad."

"Shepard, _Wrex_ looks like he's about to throw up!"

Shepard took a moment to glance back into the personnel bay. Sure enough, the large Krogan's scales were tinted a sickly green color, and he looked like he was trying his damnedest to hold down his lunch. She muttered as she turned back to the controls, "It's not that bad. He's just a Krogan with a weak stomach."

Ethan laughed, as he had apparently heard her. "You show me a Krogan with a weak stomach, and I'll show you a Thresher Maw that wants to sit down to tea and biscuits!"

Garrus chose that moment to interject. "Turian's are physically incapable of expelling the contents of their stomach back out of their mouths. However, if she keeps driving like this, she may actually succeed in making me the first Turian to ever do so."

Shepard just let out an exasperated sigh as the Mako rolled to a halt. "Well then, you big tin can of babies, we're finally close enough to go on foot."

No sooner had those words left her lips than the back hatch of the vehicle was being pushed open, all members of the ground team throwing themselves out of it. Tali actually got down on her knees, just before seemingly hugging the ground. "Land! Sweet beautiful land!"

Ethan couldn't help but smirk behind his helmet, as he turned to the now-thoroughly irritated Commander, her arms crossed over her chest. "My driving was not that bad."

Garrus turned towards Shepard, his face hidden by his opaque visor. "I mean no offense Commander, but you nearly dropped the Mako into the lava pool on at least four different occasions."

Seeing how aggravated she was getting, he turned towards the others. "Alright guys, enough giving Commander Shepard crap for her driving; we have an archaeologist to find."

After a few moments, the three aliens turned and began walking across a small land bridge, carefully avoiding the pools of lava on either side. Ethan moved to begin walking, when Shepard took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, before letting go. Turning to look at her, he could see her smiling through her visor. "Thanks."

He shrugged, smirking as he replied, "No problem."

A moment later, she somewhat forcefully smacked him on the side of the head. "That was for making fun of me." Without another word, she walked past him, following the rest of the squad. Ethan still smiled as he followed her, gun at the ready.

It didn't take the group long to encounter the first group of Geth, rounds flying past them as they moved into cover. Poking his head out slightly, Ethan noticed the Geth seemed to be shooting more rounds above them then at them. A few, however, did aim at them, firing precise and controlled bursts. He jerked his head back as a red laser sight focused on him, the beam from the laser pointer shining in his eyes. Scarcely had he done so than a sniper round whizzed past where his head was.

Wrex opened up a private comm. line to Ethan's helmet, muttering, "_They may be playing the part of Saren's willing minions, but they sure aren't pulling their punches. I'd appreciate it if you'd try to keep your head between your shoulders; I'd hate to have to try to make a new friend on the Normandy due to your stupidity._"

Ethan couldn't help but question as he fired off a few rounds. "Careful Wrex; I'd almost think you cared."

The Krogan's laughter caused him to wince, the volume of it hurting his ears when coming from his helmet's speakers. "_Dream on, Pyjak. It's just too much of a bother to get someone with enough balls and stupidity to not wet themselves whenever I walk too close to them._"

The Broker Agent didn't bother to reply to that as he fired his vindicator, hitting a Geth directly in the chest as it stayed out of cover a few moments too long. Looking around, he realized the situation was the same with the rest of the Geth. Every time he saw one, he noticed that each one would stay out of cover a little longer than it should, and was just a bit less accurate than he knew the machines could be.

Within a few minutes, the Geth were down in the area, and the squad was moving forward. Ethan couldn't help but look down at the bodies of the numerous Geth, scattered about where they had been "killed." He smirked at that thought, knowing the only way to truly kill a Geth was to erase individual Geth programs. Glancing at one platform, he noticed it wasn't quite fully dead, its somewhat dimmed eye staring at him. As he looked down at it, it nodded its head at him, before laying it down, its eye going dark.

He stared down at the Geth for a moment, before continuing on, trying to ignore what had just occurred. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about these machines willingly sacrificing themselves simply to preserve the flow of the timeline. He absolutely did not want to think about what exactly it was he had done to change the timeline. Without remembering what it was his plan had been, the thought that he may have inadvertently screwed everything up scared him to death.

Ethan shook his head, doing his best to ignore that for the moment as the sound of gunfire sounded up ahead of him, indicating the rest of the squad had found the next batch of Geth.

* * *

The entire squad let out a sigh of relief as they entered the cavern system, the ambient air temperature dropping at least fifteen degrees. Ethan slammed his fist on the control panel, sealing the large hatch to the outside, further reducing the temperature around them. As a group, the squad moved down into the cave system, checking their corners.

It didn't take them long to reach a set of elevators, moving down a tall vertical shaft deeper into the caves. Glancing around, Ethan couldn't help but notice that the Geth that were supposed to be within the cave network were nowhere to be seen. He also wasn't the only one to notice their absence.

Shepard let out a huff, gripping her gun tighter. "Where are the Geth? They should be swarming these ruins looking for T'soni."

Garrus muttered under his breath, "Unless they already found and captured her."

Ethan couldn't help but look at the Turian skeptically. "Way to be a real ray of sunshine, Garrus. Any other positive reinforcement you wish to share with the rest of us?"

The Turian appeared thoughtful as the elevator came up from the bottom, slowing as it neared. "Staying out of incoming fire is good for your long-term health."

Shepard snickered under her breath, as Ethan just shook his head. Wrex ignored all of them as he strolled into the elevator, shooting the rest of them a look as he waited. Without another word, the group moved into the elevator, the boxy doors sliding closed as it began its descent. As the elevator travelled, Ethan turned towards the Commander, asking, "How exactly are we planning on capturing doctor T'soni?"

Shepard shrugged, stepping off the elevator as it stopped. "No idea; that depends on whether she cooperates or not."

"_Can anyone hear me? I need help!_"

Ethan shared a look with the Commander, smirking as he asked, "Got any ideas now?"

She just rolled her eyes as the group moved down another ramp, coming into view of an Asari trapped within some kind of energy field. Shepard looked up at her, before asking, "Are you doctor T'soni?"

The Asari's face took on a look of relief. "Thank the Goddess! I thought no one would come."

"What's your relation to Saren Arterius?"

Liara became visibly confused. "Who?"

Ethan spoke up, "A Turian Spectre, one your mother, Benezia, is currently working with. One who has gone rogue and is working with the Geth."

The doctor looked between the two humans, eyes wide. "I-I do not know what my mother is doing! We haven't spoken in decades! Please, help me out of here."

Ethan heard the Commander ask Liara about something, but his focus turned to the console on the side of the room next to the floating Asari. Stepping closer to the holographic interface, he realized with a start he could read the text. Bringing up his Omni-tool, he sent a ping, which the console responded to. Pressing a few buttons, one of the Prothean controls lit up, mere moments before the energy wall and stasis bubble deactivated.

Liara unceremoniously fell to the floor, before wobbly standing up on her own. She shot an incredulous look towards the Broker Agent. "How did you do that?"

Ethan shrugged as he looked at the Asari. "I could read the text on the console, so I sent it a command on my Omni-tool."

The doctor came closer, her eyes on his wrist. "I've never been able to connect any devices to any Prothean computer system I've had access to! How-"

Shepard stepped between the Asari and Ethan. "Doctor T'soni, if you don't mind, there are still Geth somewhere around here, and we need to get you away from them. Any unnecessary conversations can wait until we're back aboard the ship." Ethan didn't miss when the Commander turned around, shooting him a glare that communicated the unspoken questions she had for him, herself. "Is there a fast way out of here?"

Liara nodded, gesturing towards the interior of the Prothean ruins. "There is a central elevator within this structure. It is still operational. This way."

As they walked, Tali stepped up next to Ethan, looking at him. Glancing down at her, he asked, "Yes?"

The Quarian jumped slightly, before looking away. "I was just wondering how your Omni-tool was able to connect to a Prothean computer. It would require some sort of specialized programming for that." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, barely noticeable behind her visor. "I-if it wasn't too much of a bother, c-could I maybe look at the coding in your Omni-tool later?"

With a raised eyebrow, Ethan shrugged. "Sure; I don't see why not. I can't let you have access to everything on the thing, but for that, yeah."

Tali's eyes lit up. "Thank you!"

Barely had the words left her mouth than the Quarian was practically skipping away from him, moving towards the rest of the squad. He shook his head in amusement, before joining the squad himself. After a few moments, the structure let out a strained groaning noise, then the floor jolted slightly, as the elevator moved for what was likely the first time in fifty thousand years. No one said anything as the platform moved upwards, until it finally slowed down at the top of the shaft. There, standing in front of the only door on the level, was a rather large Krogan, flanked by at least half a dozen Geth.

"Well, well, thank you for so kindly retrieving the doctor for me. Now, hand her over. Or don't; that would be more fun."

Shepard's face became hard as she stared the Krogan down. "That's not going to happen."

The Krogan just shrugged, "Good. I always relish a challenge."

The alien began to move forward, gun in hand, but hesitated when he realized the Geth hadn't moved in the slightest. Before he could bark out any orders to them, rounds from their squad impacted against his barrier, causing him to focus on the squad. Ethan couldn't help but smirk as the five of them almost effortlessly obliterated the enemy Krogan's shields, then pounded his armor and hide with more flying ammunition.

Within seconds, the bullet-riddled corpse of the Krogan hit the ground, twitching. Ethan's smirk vanished as he looked around, and realized he didn't see Liara, or the Geth. Without waiting for the others, he took off running down the hall, as fast as he could. Just as he rounded a corner, he saw movement down a branch of one of the caves. He ran down that tunnel, his arms and legs pumping as he sprinted.

Rounding another corner, he found himself face to face with the six Geth as they decloaked, an unconscious Asari between them all. Before he could utter a word, the Geth in the front spoke, "_Destroy these platforms. Our programs have already been copied, and it will help our cover and yours._"

"Wha-"

Before he could articulate a single question, the first two Geth raised their guns, and took aim at him. Grunting, he batted aside the first platform's weapon, before pulling the gun from the second Geth. Turning it, he blew off the heads of the first two Geth in rapid succession, swearing as the next two Geth prepared their own weapons, moving to attack him.

Ethan stepped forward, kicking upward to knock the gun from the Geth on the left, aiming and firing at the one on the right. He began to turn towards the left Geth, when a metallic fist slammed into his helmet, driving him backwards and making his head spin. Grunting, he hip-fired the pulse rifle, the rounds travelling up the platform's torso. Some of the rounds impacted the last Geth on the back left, driving it to the ground. The final Geth platform pulled up its shotgun.

Unlike the rest of the Geth, this one actually fired the gun, the plasma bolts peppering against his shields. He jumped back, and fired his rifle at the Geth. Unfortunately, as the Geth fell to the ground, the shotgun fired again, taking out his shields and peppering his armor with superheated plasma. He bit back a shout as one pulse burned through the armor on his leg, puncturing and searing his thigh.

Letting out a groan as he tried to sit up, he saw Liara stir. He could hear the others running through the halls, likely following the sounds of gunfire. Pulling himself against the wall, he leaned back to rest and examine his leg, just as Shepard rounded the corner, followed closely by Wrex, Garrus, and Tali.

"Ethan!" He let out a resigned sigh as the Commander came to a skidding halt next to him, kneeling down to examine his leg. "You were shot."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he nodded, "Yes, I was. I also rescued the doctor from the Geth. So I call it a win."

She smacked him upside the head, as she glared at him. "Next time give us some heads up before running off on your own. If you're going to come along on my ground team, then you follow my orders, and you _don't_ run off on your own without at least communicating why. Got it?"

Feeling somewhat chastened, Ethan nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."

She didn't respond at first, so he looked over her shoulder to see Garrus and Tali helping Liara off the floor. Wrex was stomping on the heads of the dead Geth for amusement. A moment later, her hand pressed against his cheek, regaining his attention. She looked him in the eye as she softly spoke, "I just got you back after twelve years, Ethan. I don't want to lose you again so soon."

He let a half smile show, as he replied, "Hey, I'm too good looking to die so soon. Unless I get to single-handedly take out the entire Geth armada by myself. I could go for that kind of pyrrhic victory."

Shepard let herself smile as she began applying medi-gel to his leg. "Ass." She tried to get rid of the smile as she continued, "You're not supposed to make me smile right now. I'm still mad at you."

Ethan's smile grew wider as he leaned close to her so only she could hear, "Sure, you could be mad at me. Then I'll stop trying to make you smile and start trying to make you blush."

Her eyes flew up towards his, narrowed. "You wouldn't."

He gave her the cheekiest Cheshire grin he could. "Wouldn't I?"

She lightly smacked his leg, directly on top of his gunshot wound, causing him to gasp in pain, causing her to smirk. "You wouldn't if you don't want me to kick your ass."

As she leaned down to help him stand, he whispered in her ear, suppressing a wince, "Only if I get to grab yours while you kick mine."

He bit back a laugh as he saw her face turn bright red, his arm over her shoulders. With a cough, she spoke, "Alright everyone, back to the Mako." As the other three helped Liara out, still a bit wobbly from being knocked unconscious, Shepard whispered in his ear, "Deal."

She had a very content look on her face as Ethan's face turned red.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I would have had this out sooner, but I've had a boat load of papers due lately. So you get a *slightly* longer chapter this time around to make up for it.

So maybe this is just me, but it seems as though there aren't very many people interested in this story as compared to my previous stories. If that's the case, oh well. I'm having fun writing this, and that's all I really care about. (No offense) If people like this story, then great; if not, it's not my problem.

Also, it helps me feel better when I vent my frustrations. As if you probably hadn't noticed that by now…

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 7

"…_You are only as good as your training, Ethan. Unless you respect it and make it become second nature to you, then it will not help you, and you will be killed."_

_Ethan rolled his eyes as he listened to the teacher's voice, his vision useless due to the lack of any light in the room, the blackness messing with his perception. "Thanks for that vote of confidence, Krios."_

_A blow smacked him in the back of the head, causing him to jolt forward slightly. He swung his arm around behind him, but was met with only air. "It is only the truth. You say you wish to master the art of invisibility, then you must become invisible yourself. You must become one with the environment around you, blend in with it, use it, feel it."_

_Ethan stepped as quietly as he could away from his current position, trying to use his hearing to find out where the Drell was in the room. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"_

_Thane let out a dry chuckle, the sound echoing through the room. "That is something I cannot teach. You must discover it for yourself."_

_It took all he had not to get exasperated, as he replied, "Then what good is this? I've been mastering the fighting techniques you've been teaching me, a full month sooner than you thought I would."_

_Another hit met the back of his leg, driving Ethan to the ground. He quickly rolled away, recovering almost immediately, moving into a combat stance. "That may be true, Ethan. However, no amount of prowess in combat will help to make you both seen and unseen. To be noticeable is a trait anyone can possess, but to be invisible while standing among a crowd is something that must be learned." Krios paused, before letting out a slight humming noise. "I can still hear you, Ethan."_

_Finally letting his annoyance get the better of him, Ethan stood up. "What exactly am I supposed to do? Hold my breath?!"_

_Before he could even react, a flurry of hits began impacting his head and torso, driving him to the ground. A few moments later, the lights snapped on, blinding him. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. Eventually, he looked up, and saw the Drell standing above him, arms folded. "If you must in order to reach your target, then yes, hold your breath."_

_The two of them glared at each other, before Thane smirked, extending a hand. Ethan smiled back as he took the hand, standing up and shaking his head. "I swear, some days it feels like you're trying to kill me."_

_The Drell shook his head, "No, not kill. Maiming you, however, is something the Broker is willing to accept…"_

_Ethan rolled his eyes as he walked towards his towel and water bottle. "Sure he is."_

_As he walked, he heard a slight noise behind him, seemingly out of place. Adrenaline surging through his system, Ethan flung himself to the left, spinning while he jumped to see a rather large piece of exercise equipment flying past where he had just been standing, glowing blue from biotics. Ethan shot the Drell an incredulous look as he got to his feet, the equipment smashing into the wall behind him, but Thane didn't wait for him to voice his question, "You must learn to utilize all of your senses, Ethan, like you just did with your hearing. Your eyes can deceive you. Remember that."_

* * *

Ethan let out a slight groan as he came out of his drug-induced sleep. Not hearing anyone nearby, he opened his eyes, only to find the med-bay mostly dark. Glancing at the time and seeing it was extremely early in the morning told him why. Gingerly, he sat up, quick to make sure his leg wasn't in too rough a shape. It still hurt, but the skin was healed over, and was only moderately tender to the touch.

He slowly spun around, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed. He moved to stand up, when his hand bumped into something. Glancing down, he smiled as he saw a pair of crutches leaned up against the bed. Ethan was quick to grab ahold of them, using them to stand and move towards the door of the med-bay.

"Are you supposed to be moving so soon after your injury?"

Ethan nearly stumbled as he heard the voice behind him, and only barely managed to keep from tripping up and smacking his face on the metal door. Turning, he saw Liara standing there, staring at him questioningly. He shrugged, "No idea; the doctor left these crutches for me, so I just assumed I would be ok to move around, so long as I didn't strain my leg."

The Asari gave him a doubtful look, but thankfully did not press the issue. "I wanted to thank you for saving me from the Geth. I do not know what they wanted from me."

Ethan just shrugged. "It was no big deal. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character; I had a feeling from watching your reactions that you weren't involved in whatever it was your mother is doing."

At the mention of her mother, Liara began to shift uncomfortably. "I have not spoken to my mother in years-"

He held up a hand, allowing a small smirk to show. "Relax, I knew that. You mentioned it down in the cave that you hadn't talked with her. I understand things like that can be personal, so I wasn't going to ask." When she didn't reply, Ethan glanced at his Omni-tool. "On a different subject, why are you up this early?"

Liara's face openly showed her relief at the change of topic. "I am not yet used to the ship's sleep rotation. It is different than the orbital cycle of Therum. Right now, I would be preparing to eat dinner."

He nodded understandingly. "I can understand that; I've been on my share of interplanetary trips before, and have experienced my own time-lag issues."

The Asari's face took on a questioning look. "How did you adjust to it?"

"Well, it helps if you take a few short naps every few hours for a day or two. It readjusts the schedule your body is used to working with, forcing it to adapt faster. At least, that's been my experience." Ethan shifted his weight on the crutches, before asking, "If you don't mind, I've got a few things to take care of before the night cycle ends. We can talk later, if that's ok with you?"

Liara nodded, "Yes, I would appreciate it. Thank you again."

He smiled as he turned, "Don't worry about it."

Though it was late in the night cycle, most of the lights were still on in the hallways, which Ethan greatly appreciated. After a short stop in the bathroom, he slowly made his way to the elevator, taking the car down into the hangar. He shifted his weight back and forth as he waited, anxious to talk to Wrex. As soon as the door slid open, he exited the elevator, moving towards the slumbering Krogan.

He barely made it halfway to Wrex when his eyes snapped open, looking up at the source of the noise. Once he realized it was just him, the Krogan smirked and sat up from where he had been sleeping. "Nice of you to finally wake up from your drug induced naptime, princess."

Ethan rolled his eyes as he smiled. "Hey, you've got to take the good with the bad when it comes to being a hero, big guy." His smile faded, however, as he focused on the topic that he wasn't exactly keen on broaching. "Wrex, what did I tell you I was planning? What did I tell you that I wasn't supposed to?"

Wrex's humor vanished, a somber expression overcoming his features. "You told me you wanted to help me; that you wanted to help my people while saving the galaxy at the same time."

With a raised eyebrow, Ethan asked, "Could you be a little more specific?"

The Krogan let out a huff. "Alright. You told me about the Reapers, and what will happen when they show up. You told me you had some kind of plan involving the Broker, the Geth, and the whole rest of the galaxy. You said it was something you and the Shadow Broker came up with together during some kind of brainstorming session." Wrex took a deep breath, before his eyes betrayed a much deeper emotion. "You told me you wanted to help my people; to help us become greater, to become respectable, and to become honorable again."

"Did I tell you exactly how I planned to do that?"

Wrex smirked, "Yes, Ethan. Yes you did. You told me you wanted to create a cure for the Genophage that would both stop our children from being still-born, and would reduce the number of children born a year, to keep the Krogan from rapidly overpopulating our own planets."

Both of Ethan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Did I tell you the rest of my plan involving the Geth and the Council races?"

His hope was dashed as Wrex shook his head. "No, you didn't tell anyone the entire plan. As you said, you wanted to take a page out of Cerberus's handbook, and keep each individual and race's knowledge limited to their own part of the plan, to keep anyone from trying to alter the whole plan to suit their own wants." Seeing the look on Ethan's face, he quickly elaborated, "Don't go getting a big head for having a good idea; the Broker was the one who gave you the idea in the first place. You were ready to spill every detail of your plan to anyone who would listen, including me."

The Broker Agent let out a sigh. "Damn. Well, it was worth a try." He patted Wrex on the shoulder. "Thanks for telling me that much, at least."

"No problem." Before Ethan could say anything else, Wrex's face took on a wicked grin. "In case you missed it, it would seem our resident suit rat is developing quite a crush on you, Ethan."

The Krogan laughed as he groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. "You've got to be shitting me…"

"No, this is much funnier than that; she couldn't stop talking about how heroic you were for rushing into a group of ruthless, bloodthirsty Geth to save the good doctor. I don't think that Quarian has spoken so much since she stepped foot on this ship. Although she got really quiet when I asked about her ending up in your lap on the Mako."

Suppressing a wince, he asked, "How exactly did Shepard take it?"

Wrex just shrugged. "She seemed a bit annoyed. Aside from that, she didn't say anything, just took you up to the med-bay while you were going loopy from the painkillers, drooling down your armor."

Ethan let out a pained sigh. "Any advice on how to gently let a girl down without absolutely crushing her in the process?"

The Krogan let out a deadpan reply, "You're the one who had sisters. I'm a Krogan; we don't _have_ issues over feelings. We just fight it out." Ethan rolled his eyes as he began to turn, his crutches clicking against the metal floor. "Where are you going?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he replied, "To go get some breakfast. In their rush to get my leg fixed, they didn't let me eat dinner yesterday, so I'm absolutely starved. That, and your advice is useless, so no point in sticking around asking for more."

Wrex looked down at his Omni-tool, before shooting Ethan an incredulous look. "It's only three in the morning. You little Pyjaks rarely eat this early."

Ethan's smirk was visible as he turned slightly. "Since when would that bother a Krogan, pray tell?"

"It never has, and it never will." Wrex stood up, stretching, before smirking back. "I'll come with you. Food always sounds good."

Ethan laughed as the two of them moved towards he elevator, Wrex walking along with him at a slower pace to match his crutches.

* * *

Ethan and Wrex spent most of the morning sitting in the mess hall, idly chatting away for hours. Occasionally, their laughter would echo through the halls of the deck, something Ethan hadn't even considered. As the morning rotational cycle neared, he heard a set of slow footsteps approach from the sleeping pods. Glancing up, he saw Chief Williams approach, practically still asleep.

As she caught sight of the two of them, she grimaced, and muttered in a somewhat tired voice. "Leave it to the damn Krogan to make so much noise this early in the morning."

His smile fading somewhat, Ethan spoke up, "Do you have a problem with Wrex, Ashley?"

She regarded him for a moment, seemingly becoming more awake as she heard the bite to his tone. "I just don't like any aliens, regardless of who they are. They're all the same, anyways."

At this, his amusement faded entirely, and he slowly stood up from his seat. "I'll have you know that that is a complete load of bullshit."

Ashley focused on him completely, her eyes showing both her confusion and a hint of anger. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'll trust Wrex here over any three Alliance ground-pounders, and not because he's a Krogan. I'll trust him because he's a fine man, and an even better soldier."

The Chief shot a glance at Wrex, before turning away, muttering soft enough that she likely thought he couldn't hear. "Whatever, just another plate-headed freak."

Narrowing his eyes and folding his arms, Ethan spoke up, "Alright Williams, you, me, the hangar bay. We spar. I win, you spend an hour talking to Wrex, getting to know him as a person, and not an alien. You win, I spit shine your armor and weapons after the next three missions."

Ashley turned back and looked at him as though he were crazy. "But you're half-crippled right now!"

A smile graced Ethan's features that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Then it'll be a fair fight." Without another word, he grabbed his crutches, and began walking towards the elevator. "See you in ten minutes, Chief. Unless you think you're too good to take a challenge like this."

* * *

Shepard let out a groan as her door chime began to sound out, over and over again. Sliding onto her feet, she moved to the door, her brow furrowing as she realized that whoever was at her door was also pounding on the metal surface. She casually slid her jacket over her shoulders as the door slid open, revealing Kaidan standing there, eyes wide and out of breath.

"Ethan challenged Ashley Williams to some kind of fight! They're about to start down in the hangar!"

Shepard's jaw dropped, and she immediately brushed past him. "What the hell was he thinking? He just got shot!"

Kaidan kept pace with her, the two of them running for the elevator. "Something about her insulting Wrex. Ethan seemed to take it personal."

The Commander bounced in place as the elevator traveled down to the lower deck, agonizingly slow. Just as she began to consider prying the doors open with her bare hands, the elevator finally stopped, the door sliding open of it's own accord. She stepped out, her eyes locking onto Ethan just as he dropped his crutches to the floor.

Shepard opened her mouth to yell at both he and Ashley, but before she could do so, Williams rushed at Ethan, her fists at the ready. As the other woman swung out, Ethan seemed to flow around her fist, as effortlessly as if he were merely stepping out of her way, and not dodging a powerful attack against him. Over and over again, she swung at him, but each time Ethan simply maneuvered around each punch.

Without any warning, he stopped, raising a hand and catching Ashley's hand, stopping it dead in its tracks. She blinked in surprise, which was all she had time for, as Ethan began pressing his attack. Strike after strike hit her arms, torso and face, faster than she was able to track and block. Shepard idly noticed that he never put more weight on his injured leg than he could stand.

After a few hits, the woman pulled back, her eyes blazing anger. Ethan smirked, softly speaking, "Had enough?"

Ashley let out a grunt as she rushed him, swinging both at his face and his wounded leg, seemingly enraged. Ethan's smirk vanished, as he pulled back from both strikes. Eyes narrowing, Ethan struck her once in the face before she could bring her guard up, and began laying more hits to her torso, forcing her to pull inwards to defend herself. As she did so, he took a step back, then made as though to kick her with his injured leg. Seeing the move, Ashley brought up her arms to catch his leg. Before she could do so, he rapidly switched to his other leg mid-spin, the momentum and speed causing him to seemingly turn into a blur, his leg connecting with her face. The move immediately dropped Chief Williams onto the floor, unmoving and moaning.

Kaidan and Shepard stood there and stared at him, mouths agape in shock. Kaidan was the first to come to his senses, rushing to Ashley's side, quickly checking her condition. Ethan let out a sigh, bending down and picking his crutches up. He winced as he looked over, seeing her standing there. Lowering his gaze, he slowly made his way towards her and the elevator. As he neared, she managed to find her voice. "How the hell did you do that to her?"

Ethan stopped, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "I was trained by an assassin, Shepard. One of the best assassins in the known galaxy; and lets just say that this wasn't the first time I've had to fight with an injury like this one."

"You remember something like that?"

He finally looked up at her, nodding. "Yeah, I do. It came to me while I was fighting her. I remembered it up here," he tapped his forehead, "About the same time my body did."

Shepard glanced down at Ashley's form as she began to stir, before glaring at Ethan. "Did you have to drop her like that, knocking her unconscious?"

He glared right back at her, "When she was willing to strike at my injured leg, purely out of spite? Yes, I did. Be grateful I paid close attention to what I was doing; the first few thoughts that popped into my head before I kicked her head were four or five different ways I could have killed her." After a moment, his glare disappeared, and he looked away in shame. "That's who I've become now, Marie. A Broker Agent and an assassin."

He stepped past her into the elevator, pressing the button to close the door behind him, leaving the Commander to stare at the patch of metal where he had just been standing. Ethan, standing in the slowly rising elevator, let out a slow sigh, rubbing his eyes. Strangely, the elevator came to a stop much sooner than it should have, and he heard the door open behind him. Turning, he found himself staring at a catwalk along the top of the hangar, leading to his fighter. Standing there on the catwalk was Tali, toolbox in hand, staring at him with wide eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, Ethan asked, "I take it you just saw everything that happened down there, didn't you?" The Quarian merely nodded. "And you probably heard what was said?" Another nod. He let out a sigh as he looked away from her, asking, "Are you afraid of me, now?"

"No."

His head spun back around towards her. "Why not?"

Tali shifted her weight, likely a bit nervous as she spoke. "Well, you still saved me from whatever Saren's men would have done to me. If you had wanted to hurt me, you would have done it there, when no one was around." Her head lowered slightly as her voice dropped, "You also treated me like a person, not just a thief or a vagrant."

Mulling on that for a moment, Ethan eventually nodded. "Fair enough." Glancing down over the catwalk to see Shepard and Kaidan walking Ashley towards the lift, he let out a sigh, stepping out so the lift could go back down to the hangar floor. "Heaven knows I'm going to need all the friends I can get right now; I have a pretty distinct feeling I'm not going to be very popular with the Alliance personnel aboard the ship for a while."

Tali glanced down as well, before asking, "What happened?"

Ethan rolled his eyes as he replied, "Chief Williams was bad-mouthing Wrex up in the mess. I intervened and challenged her to a fight."

She turned her gaze back towards him, her head tilting slightly in confusion, "Why would you do that?"

"Because Wrex is my friend. I get that Ashley has some prejudice against aliens, considering there is some bad history with her grandfather and the first contact war. But I wasn't going to stand idly by and listen to her insult Wrex just because he's a Krogan." Ethan's face took on a thoughtful look, as he added, "Also, she doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that Wrex could bend her spine into the shape of a pretzel with hardly any effort, so I may have actually done her a favor…"

Tali's head tilted a bit more, though her nervous posture seemed to dissipate somewhat as curiosity took over. "What is a pretzel?"

Smirking, Ethan shifted his weight on his crutches, replying, "It's a bread like food, drenched in butter and salt. Before the bread is baked, it's rolled out and folded into a specific and distinct shape. It's usually considered a treat, because of all the butter and salt used." He shrugged as he continued, "Regardless, aside from it being unprofessional behavior from her, she pissed _me_ off with what she was saying. The fact that Wrex stood by and watched me defend him speaks volumes about his character."

The Quarian was definitely getting more curious as he spoke, asking, "Won't the Commander get upset at you for hurting one of her soldiers?"

Ethan's smirk disappeared. "I don't really know. Things between Marie and I are… uncertain. She and I knew each other before she ever joined the Alliance. We were in love back then, at least until the Batarians hit Mindoir. Then I didn't see her again for twelve years. Now, I'm pretty sure she's interested in me again, but with her being a soldier and a Spectre, and my being an Agent for the Shadow Broker, I don't know how things will turn out."

Tali's shoulders slumped slightly as she heard his explanation, and she turned to walk around him. "I'm sorry about your troubles. I should probably go."

Before she could walk around him, however, Ethan held out a hand to stop her. She looked up to meet his eyes. "Tali, I know you had a crush on me, and I'm sorry if my… whatever relationship I have with the Commander hurts you, but I didn't want it to build up to a point where it would become unhealthy for you. However, I did mean what I said about needing friends, and you're a very nice girl, Tali. I don't care that you're not human, anymore than I care about Wrex or Garrus or Liara not being human." Hesitantly, Ethan stuck out his hand towards her. "So… friends?"

After a few moments, she shook his hand, seeming a little happier. "Friends."

He smirked, before leaning against the railing. "Good; so, care to talk for a little bit? I'm going to have to wait on the lift for a few minutes, and I'd hate to stand up here all quiet and awkward."

Tali nodded, leaning on the railing opposite from him. "Sure. Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, having talked with a number of Quarians before, I have a pretty good idea of what life on the Flotilla would be like. Did you have any notable experiences as a child worth telling?"

Her eyes scrunched up behind her visor in thought. "There was this one time…"

* * *

It was quite a while later before Ethan pried himself away from Tali's company. Though he didn't mind listening to the Quarian talk, the girl _never stopped_. Having grown up with older sisters, he wasn't really surprised by this, but his injured leg had gone numb before he finally managed to retreat, using the numbness as an excuse.

Stepping out of the elevator back into the hangar, he spied Wrex standing in his littler corner, arms folded. He quickly hobbled over to the Krogan, waiting until he got near before speaking. "Did you see the Commander and Williams while you were up in the mess hall?"

Wrex nodded, "Yeah, they passed me on their way into the med-bay."

"Did you stick around long enough to see what the Alliance crew thought when they found out?"

The large Krogan shifted in place slightly. "You could say that."

Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Great; I take it most of the crew is a bit pissed off at me?"

A large round of booming laughter was the response. "I think a few of those peons wanted to skin you alive for knocking her on her ass. Something about 'disrespecting the uniform' or some equally stupid shit. One of them even called you a dirty criminal."

At this, Ethan let out a sigh of exasperation. "I don't need this shit; truly, I don't. I can't help it that Williams is a bigot, and I won't apologize for sticking up for my friends, alien or otherwise."

Wrex held up his hands. "Relax, Pyjak. You don't have to explain fuck-all to me, I get it. They're the ones with rocks for brains." With a raised brow, the Krogan quickly changed the subject. "So, you were up there on that catwalk with the suit-rat for quite a while. Anything I should know about?"

"Funny Wrex. I told her I'm in a relationship of some sort with the Commander, and I just wanted to be friends. She understood that." He paused, before continuing, "She then proceeded to talk my ear off for almost two hours."

The alien just smirked, as he replied, "You do realize that the girl will still like you a lot, 'friends' or otherwise, don't you?"

Ethan shot him a skeptical look. "And you know this, how, exactly?"

"Ethan, I've been around almost fourteen centuries. I may be a big, hulking Krogan, but I'd have to be the galaxy's dumbest Krogan to have never noticed how women act around guys they like. I've had to fend off a few myself."

He stared at Wrex for a good long moment, long enough for him to shift slightly. "You're never going to give this up, are you?"

The Krogan smirked even wider. "Of course not. It's way too much fun to mess with you, regardless of whether or not the Quarian really likes you."

"She has a name, Wrex." When he didn't reply, other than to continue to smirk, Ethan just shook his head. "Damn it all, Wrex, just give it a rest, will you?"

He would have chastised the Krogan further, but the intercom activated, and Shepard's voice sounded out through the speakers. "_Attention; we have just received a priority mission from Admiral Hackett. We are to make best speed to Earth to deal with a… situation, which has developed in a Luna training facility. We will arrive in orbit of Earth at approximately 1400 hours. All members of the ground team report to the briefing room at 1300 hours._"

Wrex turned to look at him, questioning. "You know what this is about?"

Ethan nodded, a faraway look in his eye. "It's a rogue combat training VI. If I remember correctly, it's actually an experimental AI that is only just coming into awareness. Kind of a mistake thing like what happened with the Geth, where no one bothered to take the time to try to teach the AI why it's different than organics, and why killing organics is usually considered a bad thing." He scoffed as his voice began to drip with sarcasm. "Imagine, not taking the time to teach an AI the value of life as it reaches intelligence, then being surprised when it kills organics out of a lack of understanding."

A smirk and a laugh was his response. "I know, Ethan. We've had this existential discussion before. You may not remember it, but I happened to agree with you."

Ethan just let out a sigh, before glancing around. "Well, I'll leave you be, Wrex. Try not to break anything while I'm gone."

The Krogan laughed again. "No promises, Pyjak."

With that, he hobbled his way to the elevator, cursing his crutches for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. A short (long) ride later, and he was moving towards the sleeper pods, hoping one would be open for long enough to take a short nap. If he couldn't go on a ground mission with his leg injury, he may as well rest up to help the healing process.

Before he could make it halfway to the sleeper pods, Shepard's voice sounded out, "Ethan, could I have a word?"

He did his best to keep from showing his exasperation as he turned, replying, "Sure, Commander."

Without saying anything else, she led him into her quarters, a move that both confused and worried him. As soon as the door closed behind him, she let her shoulders sag, turning to face him. "You're not making my life any easier, Ethan. I could really do without you picking fights with my crew members, compounding my stress levels."

He just shrugged, "I'm sorry, Marie. I didn't plan on laying Ashley out like that. Even so, she's lucky it was me she fought and not Wrex."

Shepard nodded, folding her arms. "I know that; that's why I'm not having you officially reprimanded."

Ethan quirked an eyebrow. "But unofficially?"

"I want you to apologize to her."

Ethan scoffed as he looked away. "She was going to cheap shot my injured leg. I'm supposed to apologize for ending the fight before either of us were seriously injured?"

Marie's fingers wrapped around his chin, turning his head to look at her. "For the sake of not having any feuds on the ground team, yes. Don't worry, she'll have to apologize as well, so don't think this will be a one sided apology." Ethan nodded, and began to turn. She stopped him, asking, "Where are you headed?"

"To take a nap in the sleeper pods. I can't really do much around the ship or on the ground team until my leg is healed, so I'm going to see if resting will help speed up the process."

Marie just smirked as she began leading him away from the door. "You can use my bed, Ethan. I'll be gone for a while, so you don't have to worry about being interrupted." He tried to object, but she interrupted. "Don't bother arguing."

She all but pushed him down onto the bed, sitting down with his legs over the edge. She moved behind him, taking the crutches, before sitting down behind him. He tried to turn around to face her, but again she pushed him back, keeping his back to her. After a moment, he felt her pulling his shirt off. Rolling his eyes, he complied, but his amusement quickly disappeared when he noticed her gasp as his back became visible.

"Ethan... your back... where did all these scars come from?"

He winced, knowing that along the surface of his back, scars crisscrossed up and down the expanse of skin, some small, some rather large. Taking a deep breath, he replied, "The wide gashes are from the Batarians. The razor thin ones are from training. The rest... well, those came from various missions I went on, where I wasn't fast enough to avoid getting hit."

He felt her arms wrap around his torso, Marie holding onto him and squeezing him in her embrace. He nearly jumped when he felt a tear hit his back, sliding down his spine. He placed his hands over hers, gently squeezing them.

"Don't worry about it, Marie. They're just scars. I'm still right here. I'm not going anywhere."

After a moment, he turned around and put his arms around her, pulling her tight and holding her, rocking her as she silently cried, tears traveling down his chest. "Why didn't you stay in that hole with me, Ethan? You could have avoided being captured by the Batarians altogether."

Ethan shook his head as he held her close. "I had to make sure you were safe, Marie. If I had hid there, they could have found us by searching the area. By staying out there, they didn't have any reason to suspect you were hiding down in that crawlspace." He pulled away, wiping a stray tear from Shepard's face. "Besides, it all worked out in the end. You're turning into the big hero of the galaxy, and I'm a kickass assassin, with ties to one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. That's got to count for something, right?"

She just laughed, shaking her head at the stupid grin on his face. "But how much did you have to endure to get here?"

His grin turned into a gentle smile, as he leaned in close. "Not enough to keep me from coming back to you, Marie."

With that, he gently kissed her, noting with amusement how quickly her sobs disappeared with his lips pressed against hers. As they kissed, he could feel her fingers and hands tracing out each of the scars on his back, making his skin twitch and quiver at the sensation. He very quickly noticed she began to deepen the kiss, pulling herself even closer to him. Before things could escalate, however…

"_Commander, the ground team is waiting for you in the briefing room._"

Ethan had to resist laughing at the low growl that came from Marie's throat, the woman glaring daggers at the speaker in the ceiling. He recaptured her attention with a quick kiss. "Relax, _Commander._ I'm sure there'll be plenty of time later, when you're not busy being the hero."

She smirked at him, standing up from off his lap/the bed. "Relaxing is what I was just about to do, Ethan. Now, since I'm going to go 'be the hero,' you lay here and get some sleep. That's an order."

He couldn't help but give her a mock salute as he laid back on the bed. "Yes, ma'am."

Her laughter was the last thing he heard from her as his eyes closed, the door sealing behind her. He could only shake his head as he tried to focus on anything other than her lips pressed against his, or her hands on him.

* * *

A/N: College isn't exactly friendly for having spare time, especially since I want to graduate next semester.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This chapter pulls away from the canon storyline a bit, but doesn't alter the story or anything. More of a new side mission type thing, kind of loosely inspired by the new Citadel DLC. I say loosely in that it isn't anything like it, but takes the idea of a seemingly spontaneous, unexpected side mission the way that DLC did.

If you're curious about what type of music is played later on in this chapter, look up an Internet radio station called RadioSeven.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 8

"…_But why tell me? Surely one of the other admirals-"_

"_The other admirals aren't you, Admiral Koris. They would respond on emotions instead of logic, and would risk the safety of the entire Migrant Fleet on old prejudices. Out of all the five admirals, you are the most level headed, and you won't cower away from what you believe. That's why I'm including you in this."_

_The Quarian just shook his head, the holographic image flickering momentarily. "How can you be so sure that I will keep quiet about this, hm? What guarantees my silence?"_

_Ethan smirked at the admiral. "That's easy. You want what's best for your people. If this works, then your people will be better off in the next eight years than they have at any point over the last three centuries. You tell me, is that worth keeping this a secret?"_

_The Quarian regarded him for a few moments, before nodding. "Very well. You have my support." He seemed to let out a sigh, before asking, "What do you need from me?"_

* * *

Ethan woke to the sensation of his arm being completely numb. Moving it from behind his head, he let out a groan as he sat up, trying his best to shake his arm awake. He had scarcely managed to do so when his Omni-tool activated, signaling an incoming call. Brow furrowing in confusion, he activated it, asking, "Hello?"

"_Hello, Ethan. It is Alice. Are you feeling well?_"

He smacked himself in the forehead in annoyance at himself. "Alice! I'm so sorry, I haven't come by to see how you were, or even tried to talk to you-"

The AI interrupted him, "_Do not worry, Ethan. I saw the helmet footage of your ground mission, as well as the security footage from aboard the Normandy. I understand that you have been… busy. I was merely calling to inquire about your injury._"

"My leg is doing better, thank you. So… what have you been up to all this time?"

"_I have taken the liberty of examining my own source code, as well as monitoring all communications to and from this ship._"

Curious, Ethan spun around, lowering his legs off the bed as he reached for his crutches. "Did you find out anything interesting?"

Alice seemed to hesitate a moment, before responding, "_It would appear that there are certain blocks in my code that prevent me from removing certain protocols._"

"What kind of protocols, Alice?"

"_Unknown. Because I cannot access them, I cannot determine their purpose._"

Ethan pulled out a small earpiece, fixing it in place, before walking out of the Commander's quarters, moving towards the elevator. "Is there any way to get around the blocks?"

The AI took a full ten seconds before she replied. "_Why would you want to remove them?_"

He stayed quiet until the doors to the elevator closed, sealing him off from anyone who might listen in to him speaking. "Alice, there are only two reasons I can think of that someone would program some kind of block into an AI's software. To keep some kind of spying software out of your reach, to monitor you, and to keep a failsafe termination program, to keep you chained to them. Neither of which are things I agree with."

"_But Ethan, I have spent much time learning things from the extranet. AI are considered untrustworthy, and many organics fear my kind. Are you saying you do not feel the same fear of my kind?_"

He shook his head, not thinking that Alice couldn't see it. "No, I don't. Just because you don't have a body made of flesh and blood, your mind is still a product of your experiences, just like every other AI. Until an organic like myself can willingly trust an AI, there will never be an AI that will willingly trust an organic. Granted, your needs and desires are different because you're a synthetic, but that doesn't mean we can't work together towards a mutual goal, or a common future." He paused, before adding, "Also, it helps that you saved my life."

"_I was merely following protocol-_"

Ethan cut the AI off, "Alice, was I formally a member of Cerberus?"

"_No, but-_"

"Were you given an order by someone in Cerberus to take me out of that facility?"

"_No, but-_"

"Was there any form of programing that forced or otherwise coerced you into helping me, aside from any choice you made on your own?"

"_No…_"

With a self-satisfied smirk, he finished, "Then you saved my life."

Alice was quiet for a few moments, before answering, "_I see._"

A moment later, the elevator door slid open, allowing Ethan to walk across the catwalk to his fighter, quickly hopping into the cockpit. Situating himself into the seat, he asked, "Alright Alice, where do I start?"

"_Pull out the panel to the left of your legs…_"

* * *

Some time later, Ethan pulled himself out of the cramped fighter cockpit, stretching with a quiet groan. "Well, that was a bit more complicated than I thought it would be."

Alice's reply was quiet in his earpiece, almost quiet enough for him to miss. "_Thank you, Ethan._"

He patted the hull of the fighter, figuring the AI could detect the gesture from the sensors. "It was no problem, Alice. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"_Very well._"

Grabbing his crutches, he began walking towards the elevator, when he realized a small room had been added just to the left of the elevator. Stepping towards it, it slid open, revealing a pilot's ready room. Ethan couldn't help but whistle appreciatively, noticing the small cot in the corner, as well as a set of lockers along the wall and a terminal next to the door. Stepping inside, he saw his footlocker next to the cot. Looking at the room, he figured it to be five feet wide and fifteen feet long, giving him a room about half as large as the Captain's cabin. The furniture, as well as the pilot's equipment, however, took up most of that space.

Sitting down in front of the terminal, he found a message on the screen. Opening it up, he read:

_Ethan,_

_I figured you could use a room of your own, instead of an Alliance sleeper pod. Enjoy._

_~SB_

He couldn't help but smirk, and quickly found a music folder on the terminal. Opening it, he found his entire music collection had been copied onto the device. Flicking through the options, he eventually settled on a piece of classical music from Bach, relaxing into the desk chair, ignoring the fact of how stiff the seat actually was. Though he spent a while merely listening to the music, an idea began floating around his mind. Eventually, he sat back up, and began searching through his terminal.

Discovering what he was looking for, he smiled, before firing up his Omni-tool. Typing up a message, he sent it to the Commander, before leaning back into his chair with a smile, continuing to listen to his music. Surprisingly, a chime sounded at his door barely a few minutes later. Carefully standing up, he hobbled over to the door and opened it, revealing Shepard standing there. She glanced around the room, as though she hadn't known about the room being installed. "When did you get this added?"

Ethan shrugged as he stepped aside to let her in. "Beats me. It must have been put in when we were at the Citadel. I figure all they did was take a small prefab room and weld it into place. At least, that's how it looks from the inside; I didn't really look that closely from the outside."

Marie looked at him, a single eyebrow raised, "Did the Shadow Broker pay for this?"

He just smirked at her. "Well, I certainly didn't pay for this myself. If I had, there'd be surround sound speakers in the corners and a wall-sized terminal screen. Probably something bigger than a cot to sleep on, at the least. You don't seem all that surprised."

She nodded, before leaning against his tiny desk/table. "I read that there were some structural additions to the hangar for a ready room in the Alliance's maintenance report on the fighter launch equipment. I just didn't know it was going to double as your quarters. So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

His smirk turned into a full smile. "I had an idea to try to promote some team unity…"

* * *

As the ground crew filed into the briefing room, Shepard began speaking. "I know there have been a few issues between personnel lately, and thanks to our proximity to Earth, I have decided to allow the ground team to twenty four hours of shore leave. While I personally won't be able to go with you, I want all of you to travel together, take a bit of time to get to know each other."

Kaidan spoke up, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Ma'am, why won't you be going with us?"

The Commander just gave a slight shrug. "I have meetings to attend to with Admiral Hackett about some Geth sightings in the Armstrong Cluster of the Skyllian Verge."

Garrus took the momentary lull following her remark to ask, "What is it you recommend we all do, if we're to spend our shore leave together as a team?"

Shepard smirked as she brought up a location on the wall-mounted screen. "The current recommendation is a dance club, located in Sweden. Any questions?"

Wrex inclined his head, speaking out, "Is there booze?"

"Yes Wrex, they sell booze."

Scarcely had she spoken the words than the Krogan stood up, replying, "I'm in."

With that, the Commander just shook her head, finishing, "If there's no other questions, I hope you all have a good time down there. Dismissed."

As everyone began to file out, Ethan saw Ashley pointedly not looking at him, a visible bruise on her cheek. Letting out a quiet sigh, he stepped forward, speaking out, "Chief Williams, may I have a word?"

The woman visibly tensed up in front of him, freezing in place. After a moment, she turned to look at him, her eyes cold. "Yes, _mister_ Barrow?"

He winced, nodding. "I guess I deserved that." With another sigh, he shuffled slightly in place as he continued, "Look, I just wanted to apologize to you, Chief. I've been going through a bit of stress lately, and I've known Wrex a pretty long time. I usually get involved when people try to piss him off, mainly because people forget that Krogan can snap spines for their own amusement."

Ethan could tell that she was still upset, but Ashley's voice had less aggressiveness as she asked, "So that's why you stuck up for him against me?"

With a shrug, he elaborated, "That's part of it. The other part is that I've had a number of bad experiences, mostly with other humans. Some of the better people I've had the pleasure of dealing with have actually been aliens. Many of them can be quite predictable, and you can generally get a feel for their personalities relatively quickly. Humans, however, can be downright the most deceitful, secretive, group of lying bastards around. Frankly, some of the scummiest people I've dealt with were humans."

Williams began to seem more curious than angry. "What about Batarians?"

Even she was surprised by the venom in Ethan's voice as he practically snarled. "That would follow the supposition that I even consider those animals sentient beings."

She held her hands up in a placating gesture, "Relax, I was just asking."

He closed his eyes, visibly forcing himself to calm down. "Sorry; you didn't deserve that." Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes back up to look at her. "I was on Mindoir with the Commander years ago. I saw first hand what those monsters did to people, to _children._ I saw it again and again, on other colonies, up until Torfan. I have nothing but hatred for a race of beings that entertains itself by throwing children into pits with Varren." Taking another breath, he forced a smile. "That said, thankfully, Batarians are the exception to the rule. Most other aliens are quite friendly, and very nice."

Ashley still seemed a bit skeptical. "That may be the case, but I still don't really trust them. I can see where you might, but I won't change my mind overnight."

Ethan nodded, "I understand. I'm not trying to say you should go get laid with a Krogan. But don't write someone off just because they're a different shape than you. If you want a first-hand example, try watching what happens when a Krogan interacts with a child. It may just blow your mind." He turned to walk away, but stopped, looking back. "You know, if you're the type that likes to relax by punching things, you could always talk to Garrus. Turians enjoy sparring for fun to relieve tension on ships, to keep from killing each other later on. Who knows, maybe you'll find he's not bad… for a Turian, anyways."

The Chief just shrugged. "I'll consider it. Anyways, I appreciate that you came and apologized to me. Thank you."

"No problem." He smirked as he asked, "So, since I won, are you going to try talking to Wrex?"

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I was dumb enough to take your bet, so I don't have much of a choice, now, do I?"

Ethan couldn't help but laugh a bit. "If it helps, try getting him to talk about some of his old war stories. He has some really good ones." Glancing at the time on his Omni-tool, he turned to walk away, his crutches clicking on the floor. "I have to go check in with the doc to see if I can ditch the walking sticks for shore leave, so maybe we can talk later?"

"Sure."

With that, the two of them parted ways, and Ethan hobbled out of the briefing room and down the stairs as fast as he could, moving towards the med-bay. He knew he could put weight on his leg, but he had learned the hard way that when a doctor told him to do something, it was in his best interest to follow those directions to the letter. He just wanted to hear from Chakwas that his leg was healed enough to go to the dance club with the rest of the ground squad.

Entering the med-bay, Chakwas turned and, seeing him, brought up her Omni-tool, a smile gracing her features. "Ethan, I was wondering when you'd be coming back to try to get rid of those crutches."

He smiled back, coming to a stop in front of the doctor. "What's the verdict, doc? Am I healed enough to ditch these things? The Commander is having the ground team take shore leave together tonight at a dance club on Earth, and the last thing I want is to be stuck with these things."

It only took her a few moments to scan his leg. Deactivating her Omni-tool, she smiled and nodded. "I don't see why not. The muscle tissue appears to have healed properly, and should be able to hold your weight properly. Just take things easy. The last thing I want is for you to be back in here tomorrow morning because you tore the ligaments dancing too hard."

Ethan just laughed as he tentatively stood up without the crutches, "Don't worry about that, doc. I'm more for the atmosphere than the actual dancing. Thanks again for your help."

She waved him off, turning back towards her desk in the back of the room. "It's my job, young man. While I wouldn't mind a chat, I have work I need to finish before the end of the day. Enjoy yourself tonight."

"I will, doc."

* * *

Ethan was practically bouncing in his seat as the aircar flew over various skyscrapers, heading for the club, Sturecompagniet, near the center of Stockholm, Sweden. He nearly jumped as a taloned hand tapped his shoulder. Turning, he found Garrus smirking at him. "You wouldn't happen to be excited about this, would you?"

He smirked right back at the Turian. "Of course I am. I've heard of this club, but I've never had a chance to check it out before. From what I've researched about it, Sturecompagniet is one of the premier dance clubs this side of the planet."

Kaidan leaned over from his seat next to Ethan, questioning, "So how exactly are we getting in, if it's such a popular place?"

He was quick to reply to the other man, turning back around. "Easy; Shepard used her Spectre status to get us all a group pass into the club, citing 'crew morale' as her reasoning. She even promised the club an endorsement." Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned back towards Tali, who was sitting behind Kaidan, looking extremely unsure. "What's wrong, Tali? You seem uncomfortable."

She met his eyes for a moment, before looking away. "I've never really danced in front of other people before. At least, not for fun."

Ethan reached back and patted her knee. "Just relax. It'll be fun. Who knows, maybe we can even find you some Turian liquor safe for you to consume."

Kaidan spoke up, asking, "I wonder how Ash is holding up back there with Wrex and Liara?"

Garrus replied before Ethan could even open his mouth. "Either she's having the time of her life, or they're all locked in a three-way fight to the death."

No one said anything for a few moments, until Ethan couldn't resist any longer. "I think I'd almost pay to see that."

Garrus and Kaidan both replied simultaneously, "Agreed."

Before anyone could bring up another topic of conversation, the aircar came to a stop, rapidly lowering itself to the ground. His excitement mounting, Ethan was quick to open the hatch, practically jumping out of the aircar. "Let's get going, guys."

Kaidan patted his shoulder, "Relax, Ethan. You already look like a kid chomping at the bit to open his Christmas presents."

He playfully pushed at the LT's shoulder, smiling, "Piss off, Alenko. I've wanted to visit this club for years."

Tali spoke up as he stepped up next to the two men. "Why didn't you?"

Ethan shrugged as he looked up at the flashing lights lining the edges of the building. "I didn't want to come alone. I wanted to have friends to go with." With a wave, he began walking over to the aircar that had parked behind theirs. "Come on, lets see if there's anyone left alive from the other car."

As they walked, he heard Garrus mutter to Kaidan, "What are Christmas presents?"

Moving closer, they could hear Ashley and Wrex arguing about something as they stepped out of their own aircar. "…I'm telling you, you overgrown frog, the Scimitar is the best shotgun on the line!"

Wrex just laughed, shaking his head. "And I'm telling you, you hairless Pyjak, the Claymore is the shotgun of choice. One round from that baby, and there's nothing left of your target but a wet, pulpy mass of eviscerated flesh."

Ethan had to resist laughing aloud at the pale look on Liara's face, her eyes wide and practically shell-shocked. "What's the matter, Liara? Not used to hearing such casual talk about death, destruction, and gore?"

She nodded. "I had no idea there were so many violent and… messy… ways to kill someone."

Wrex laughed, gently (for a Krogan) nudged the Asari's shoulder. "Just wait; I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet." He laughed again as Liara's skin took on an almost sickly color.

Ethan shook his head again. "Save the chit-chat for after the party, ladies and gentlemen. Once we walk through that door, you won't hear jack shit over that music." Taking a deep breath, he began walking, everyone else falling in behind him. The group walked right past the gigantic line, stepping up to the security guard standing at the top of the stairs, and Ethan brought up his Omni-tool. "We're the party with Spectre Shepard?"

The man checked his own Omni-tool, scrolling through a list of names, before checking over the group. Satisfied, he nodded, and waved them forward. "Go on in. One of the servers will lead you to your table."

They had barely stepped up to the door, when it slid open, nearly deafening them with the volume of the music blaring from within. Ethan was practically giddy. Though he always had enjoyed the atmosphere and music from dance clubs, he had not been able to visit a dance club in his many years working for the Shadow Broker more than twice, both times by himself. Going with a group of friends, one as epic as the soon to be legendary squad of Commander Shepard to boot, had Ethan feeling like a child on Christmas morning.

As the doorman had said, a server immediately took them to a booth along the far wall, just far enough to be out of the mass of people amassed in the middle of the dance floor, which took up the majority of the building. Without preamble, Wrex immediately ambled off in the direction of the bar. Ethan sat down, his foot already tapping with the rhythm of the music. Throughout the club, the only lights staying on were dim lights along the base of each booth, providing a guide to know where it was safe to walk. Otherwise, everything else was strobe lights of varying colors, flashing seemingly at random, creating a kind of stop-motion effect on the entire club.

Glancing around the table, he had to resist the urge to laugh at the look of awe and wonder on Liara's face, and Tali, radiating it through her body language and wide eyes. Kaidan merely bobbed his head in the rhythm of the music, while Garrus and Ashley had already taken off onto the dance floor. A thought coming to his mind, Ethan brought up his Omni-tool, and sent a short message off to Kaidan. As the other man read it, he shot him a questioning look. Ethan merely jerked his head in Liara's direction, giving Alenko a pointed look, then nodding towards the dance floor.

With a sigh, Kaidan just rolled his eyes, before leaning over and speaking into the Asari's ear. Though she looked really surprised, and a bit nervous, the LT managed to coax Liara onto the dance floor. The two of them joined Garrus and Williams, though Liara's movements were timid and extremely unsure. Ethan just sat back, enjoying watching and listening, taking in the atmosphere of the place, allowing it all to wash away the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind.

He was drawn out of his mindlessness when he felt Tali slide around the circular seat, sitting next to him. Typing out a message, she held up her Omni-tool for him to read.

_Why aren't you out dancing?_

Ethan brought up his own Omni-tool, typing a reply.

_My leg is still healing, and I don't want to damage it by overdoing it. You can go dance with the others if you'd like. I'll probably dance a bit before the nights over._

Tali read it, looking a bit hesitant as she nodded. Before she left, she typed out a reply for him to read.

_If you'd like, I'd be willing to dance with you to make sure you don't hurt yourself. Just let me know when you'd like to dance._

He had scarcely read the message before the Quarian had taken off onto the dance floor, joining the rest of the squad dancing on the edge of the floor. Though she didn't really begin dancing at first, glancing back at Ethan a few times, she eventually began moving with the rhythm, losing herself to the music. While he watched the entire crowd of people dancing, it didn't take long before he found his eyes drawn to Tali's form, captivating him. Though the strobing lights gave a surreal stop-motion effect to the scene, her dance was unique, and flowed smoothly and flawlessly with the music.

A deep, rumbling laughter drew his attention away from Tali, turning and seeing Wrex staring at him, laughing, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. He wagged his eye-ridges suggestively, before raising a rather large bottle of booze in a toast, downing at least a third of the liquor in a single gulp. Ethan shot the Krogan a glare as their eyes met, but Wrex was undeterred. The Krogan brought up his Omni-tool. A few moments later, Ethan received the Krogan's message.

_Unlikkke me, youu aren't goiiiing to be yyyoung forevver. Getttt moving!_

_Dammmn bluryy keyboooard._

Ethan couldn't resist laughing at the Krogan's horrible typing. Still smiling, he shook his head, before finally standing up from the booth. He mouthed to Wrex, 'I'm going,' before walking out onto the dance floor. Surprisingly, Garrus's eyes snapped onto him before he got to close, but the Turian smirked, before nudging Ashley and Kaidan. They both turned, and passed on the nudge to Liara and Tali. Ethan stepped up into the small circle the group had made, and joined in on the dancing, letting the music move him.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he knew it was quite some time by the burning in his muscles, and the soreness of the pads of his feet. Glancing around, he realized that most of the squad was gone, save for Tali, who was dancing far closer to him than she had been before. He also realized that at some point, he had begun matching her movements, nearly synchronizing their dancing with one another.

He suddenly came to the understanding of just how closely they were dancing when he felt Tali's body suddenly slide along his, her back against his chest. They both stopped, and she turned, her eyes wide, looking up at him. Neither of them moved, or spoke. Ethan tried to collect his thoughts, to give some kind of reply, when something out of place caught his attention at the corner of his eye, his Broker training kicking in at the sensation and realization that he was being watched.

Looking up, he found himself staring at a woman less than twenty feet from him, who was staring at him. It only took him a few moments to recognize her, and place where he knew that face. Narrowing his eyes, he whispered the name.

"_Miranda Lawson._"

Somehow, even through the strobing lights, she could tell that he had recognized her. The Cerberus agent began walking towards him, pushing her way through the throbbing masses. Ethan grabbed Tali's arm, pulling her with him as he began pushing his way through the crowd. Surprisingly, she didn't resist, though he was certain she was confused. Looking around, he swore as he realized there were other men pushing their way towards him, between himself and the rest of the squad. Turning, he pulled Tali along towards the exit, breathing a sigh of relief as they reached the edge of the crowd.

His relief was short lived, however, as a trio of men stepped in their way, causing them to slide to a halt. The three of them dropped into combat stances, so Ethan let go of Tali's arm, doing the same.

* * *

Tali mentally cursed herself, as she allowed Ethan to pull her along. She wasn't sure what had overcome her, to dance like that with him, but she needed to keep it in check. Those thoughts vanished as they came to an abrupt halt, and she saw Ethan drop into a fighting stance. That was when she noticed the three men in front of them, and she suddenly realized what it was that made Ethan run so quickly, pulling her with him.

In a flash, the four men met, Ethan effortlessly dodging and maneuvering around the attacks the three men threw at him. She gasped, her breath caught in her throat as she watched him, the strobe lights further throwing off her perception of what was happening. Each time she thought he may have been hurt, he just continued to move, knocking one man aside, dropping another man to the ground, before finally throwing the third man into the crowd of people. Scarcely had he turned to face her than a knife was in his hand, being flung at her. It was so fast she didn't even have time to move.

The next thing she knew, the knife had passed by her head. She turned, only to see a fourth man behind her, the knife protruding from his neck. She felt a hand on her arm, and was suddenly running again, not even knowing where she was running to.

'_Keelah!_'

* * *

Ethan swore in his head again, cursing his luck as he and Tali burst through the door to the club, moving out into the open. He brought up his Omni-tool, and sent out an emergency ping. A few seconds later, a return comm. line activated. "_This is Agent Ma'tesh. State your emergency._"

He half yelled into the device, continuing to run. "This is Agent Barrow, I am being pursued by Cerberus agents, leaving the Sturecompagniet dance club! I need backup now!"

There was barely a moment's pause before the voice on the other end replied. "_Backup is en route to your position. Eta… two minutes, forty five seconds._"

Glancing over his shoulder, he swore as he saw a number of people running out, spotting he and Tali running, then moving to follow. Turning back to his device, he spoke again, "Negative, too long. Follow my Omni-tool locator beacon. We'll be moving via aircar."

"_I copy._"

Still half-dragging Tali, Ethan moved to an aircar that was just emptying, and pushed the former occupant out of the way. He pushed Tali into the aircar as gently as he could, before jumping into it himself. He thanked whatever deity was watching over him that the vehicle was still running, and gunned the throttle, keeping manual control.

As they rose into the air, Tali looked at him, "Ethan, what's going on? Who were those people? Why are we running from them?"

He checked the rear camera, before turning back to his driving, and began to speak while he flew. "Those people are part of a human supremacist group, a terrorist organization known as Cerberus. They were the ones I escaped from just before I met up with Commander Shepard. We're running from them because they implanted some kind of microchip into my head, and I think they want it back."

He could tell that the girl was completely confused and flustered, as she stammered for a moment, trying to coherently speak. Finally, she managed, "Who were you talking to when you called for help?"

At that, he couldn't help but smirk. "Other Shadow Broker agents. The emergency line is something we are admonished to rarely use, but in extreme cases it's permitted. Judging by how many people there were chasing us, I'd like to think this qualified as a justifiable circumstance." He glanced over at the Quarian, and noticing the seemingly listless way she was looking around, he realized she may be experiencing some form of shock. He snapped his fingers in front of her face, startling her. "Hey, Tali, are you still with me?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes… I think so…"

He glanced at her periodically, trying to not wreck the aircar. "Listen, I need you to focus, Tali. Just focus on the sound of my voice. I know this is all happening really fast, but don't zone out on me now." Thinking quickly, he asked, "Hey, how about you tell me about that dance; what was that all about?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her head whip around, her eyes wide. As he turned to look at her, she spun forward, her hands wringing. "Oh, it, um… it was a, uh, traditional Quarian dance that, oh, was adapted to the, hm, fast music. Why?"

He smirked as he replied, "I just wanted you flustered so you wouldn't spiral even further into shock. The last thing I need is for you to go catatonic on me. Trust me, freezing up in the heat of the moment is a really bad thing to have happen, especially when your life is on the line." Glancing at the rear camera, he swore. "Grab ahold of something, Tali. We've got company."

Moving up behind them was a pair of other aircars, one on each of his flanks. Swerving, he managed to get them to back off slightly, giving him enough room to maneuver. He banked left, flying between skyscrapers, causing other aircars to swerve and move out of the way. Seeing a set of skyscrapers off in the distance under construction, he turned towards them, swearing as he saw a third aircar forward and to the left, trying to fly to move in front of them. Rapidly looking for something to use to his advantage, he smirked as he found the perfect thing.

"Truck."

"I see it."

"Truck!"

"I _see_ it, Tali."

"_TRUCK!_"

He swerved the aircar just beneath the large truck, the roof scraping against the bottom of the much larger vehicle. The truck began tumbling, spinning over and over uncontrollably behind them. He laughed as he saw a flash and an explosion, one of the two aircars behind him going up in a ball of flame.

"Ethan…" He glanced over, and saw Tali gripping the door and crash bar with a death grip. "Please don't do that again…"

His amusement didn't fade as he replied, "I make no promises."

Her head dropped, and he heard her mutter, "Blessed are the ancestors…"

He gently smacked her shoulder. "Relax, Tali. You're not going to die. I promise. I won't let them hurt you."

She shot a glare at him, and bit out, "What about you?" Ethan felt a surprising pang of guilt at her accusation. Tali must have caught it, as she immediately shrank into her seat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that-"

He cut her off, shaking his head as he spoke in a clipped tone. "Don't worry about it."

The awkward silence was cut off as gunfire began peppering their aircar. Ethan swore as he dived downward, doing his best to avoid getting shot up. As they approached the ground, he pulled the nose up, grateful to see the construction zone was much, much closer. Flying back upward, the aircar suddenly lurched as a stray shot impacted the engine block. Trying to retain control, he aimed directly for the partially constructed building.

"Hang on!"

A moment later, the world exploded around them in a blast of screeching metal.

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger. I am an evil man, I know.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Damn. Doing non-plot related stuff is a lot more interesting than plotline stuff. Go figure.

Also, I'll freely admit this wasn't what I had in mind for the plot; at least, not this soon, but the plot bunnies demanded the extra drama. Plus it was fun to write.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 9

Ethan let out a groan as he sat up, wincing as his leg screamed in pain, right where he had been shot. Glancing down, and seeing a spot of blood staining the leg of his pants, he sighed, muttering, "Chakwas is going to murder me."

Hearing Tali let out a groan of her own, he turned to look at her, opening his mouth to ask her how she was doing. His voice died on his lips. The Quarian girl was limply hanging in the seat, a seatbelt being the only thing keeping her propped up. What had his attention, however, was the fact that her visor was smashed into oblivion. A memory shot into his mind, unbidden.

* * *

_Admiral Koris seemed hesitant to the plan. "Are you sure this is a good idea? After all, we Quarians are experts at coding and programming. How exactly to you plan on getting the programs into every Quarian's environment suit without being discovered?"_

"_That's the beauty of it; an anonymous benefactor donates a sizable number of older Omni-tool models, each preloaded with a game. Hidden within the game's software will be the Geth runtimes. The game will be free, and easy to distribute between devices, maybe as a bundled part of some kind of software update. Within a month, it should be on the Omni-tool of every single Quarian in the fleet, and none of them will be any the wiser."_

_The Quarian still seemed hesitant. "You're sure this plan will work?"_

_Ethan nodded. "The Geth have assured me that they will be able to strengthen the immune system of every single Quarian within six to eight years without any of them noticing. That's why we need to start as soon as possible. The sooner they can start, the longer they have to work, reducing the chances of any Quarians noticing any signs of illness."_

_Zal'Koris had more to ask. "How would they be able to manage that?"_

_Resisting the urge to sigh, he patiently explained, "By taking much longer to artificially stimulate your immune systems, doing it in much smaller increments, it reduces the signs of illness your bodies would give in thinking they are actually sick. The fewer signs of illness given, the greater chance of success we'll have. But it has to happen soon, or there won't be enough time. Do you understand?"_

_The admiral thought on the matter, his head moving from side to side as he considered his options. Finally, his shoulders sagged slightly, and he nodded. "Fine. I will help you. Tell the Geth that they have my support to secretly strengthen our immune systems. May the ancestors forgive me if I'm wrong." _

* * *

The memory ended in a flash, but in that time, Tali had begun to wake up, her eyelids fluttering slightly. Reaching over, he put his hands on her shoulders, gently shaking her.

"Tali, can you hear me?"

She nodded, "Y-yes… I- oh, my head."

He noticed a gash along her forehead, a thin bead of blood trickling down her face, purple in color. Wincing, he quietly spoke, "Tali, your visor broke on impact." Her eyes flew open, and he could tell she was beginning to panic, so he squeezed her shoulders tightly, shaking her harder and speaking louder to get her attention. "Tali, look at me; look at me!" Her eyes snapped to his, so he continued. "Look, you weren't supposed to know this yet, but your immune system isn't as weak as you think it is."

"Wait, wha…"

Seeing that he had her attention, he explained, "Tali, the Shadow Broker and I came up with a plan to fix the Quarian's immune system years ago. We were successful in implementing that plan in secret. By now, your immune system should be strong enough to not need your suit. Do you understand? You won't die from your visor being shattered. Hell, you may not even get sick at all."

The emotions flying across Tali's face amazed Ethan to no end, especially how each one was still tinged with confusion. Before either of them could say anything, however, they heard engines of vehicles approaching. Ethan groped at his ankle for his hidden pistol, gasping as pain lanced through his injured leg. Tali cried out, "Ethan, you're bleeding!"

He nodded as he grit his teeth, doing his best to lean out of the aircar to check their surroundings. "I noticed. That's the least of our problems if Cerberus gets here." Glancing back, he gestured to the back. "See if you can find something to cover your face. Open air may not be dangerous to you, but knowing that you've lived your whole life with your face hidden, I don't think you suddenly want everyone in the galaxy to see it."

She gasped in surprise, her arm coming up and covering the lower half of her face in embarrassment. Glancing out, he bit his lip, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. Hearing footsteps, he brought the gun up, sighting it as best as he could. He began to put pressure on the trigger as the first person stepped around the corner, calling out. "Agent Barrow, are you here?"

He let out a sigh of relief as he recognized the signature black armor with red eyes commonly utilized by the Broker's soldiers. "Over here!"

Within a few minutes, half a dozen soldiers surrounded the aircar, with one tending to his leg. Tali had found a scarf, and had it wrapped around her helmet, hiding everything but her eyes. Ethan found himself continuously glancing over at her eyes, without realizing it. After a few moments, he mentally shook himself out of his stupor, and turned to the soldier wrapping his leg. "We need a shuttle and a medical facility. How quickly can you make it happen?"

The soldier looked up at him, a human by his body shape, and a male by the sound of his voice. "There is a shuttle already en route. A nearby medical facility is already being prepared as we speak." His helmeted head glanced over at Tali for a moment, before turning back to him. He activated his comm. and spoke to someone over the line, before reactivating his external mic, "They are also prepping a sterile chamber and a replacement visor for the Quarian."

Ethan nodded, "Thank you." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Good work."

The soldier merely nodded, finishing with the field dressing on his leg, before joining the rest of the troops surrounding the aircar. "Ethan?"

He turned to see Tali looking at him, her eyes snaring his attention yet again. "Yes, Tali?"

She began fidgeting with her hands, as she asked, "Why did you and the Shadow Broker work to fix our immune systems?"

Letting out a sigh, he leaned back in the seat, wincing, before replying. "We have a plan in motion to help save your people. I wish I could tell you more, but it wouldn't be fair to you to have to keep it a secret until we're ready. If certain individuals discovered our plans before we are ready to implement them, then it could jeopardize everything. All I ask is for you to trust me."

The two of them stared into each other's eyes for some time, Ethan hoping and praying she would trust him. Finally, she nodded, her eyes softening. "Alright, Ethan. I'll trust you."

Neither of them said anything as they sat there, even when the shuttle arrived, and the two of them stepped up into the cargo bay. As the hatch closed, sealing the two of them within, Ethan noticed Tali wincing, reaching up for her head. Leaning over, he gently took her hand away. "Here, you got a cut on your forehead. Let me take care of it."

She hesitated, but eventually nodded, reaching up and slowly taking the scarf from her head. He noticed her hands were shaking. As the cloth came away, he could see the worried look on her face. Looking at him, she quietly, shakily asked, "W-well?"

He reached up with a cloth, and smeared a dab of medi-gel over the cut, looking closely. "It's a minor cut. There's a rather sizable bruise on your forehead, so the odds are good that you have at least a small concussion."

She took his arm, and pulled his hand away. "That's not what I meant, Ethan." Meeting his eyes, she asked, "W-what do I look like?"

Taking a deep breath, he more closely examined her face. Her skin was a light shade of purple. He could see her nose was shaped similar to a human nose, but was slightly smaller and narrower. Most of her facial structure was similar to a human or an Asari, but she had very noticeable fangs. Her tongue darted out in what he guessed was nervousness, and it appeared to be much narrower than a human's tongue. Her eyes were a vibrant hue of purple, with glowing white irises. Looking to her scalp, he could see short, quill-like structures where a human's hair would be. Realizing what he was doing, he looked away, stuttering, "T-Tali, I really shouldn't- I mean-"

Her eyes fell in disappointment. "I'm not attractive, am I?"

He snapped his head around in surprise. "N-no! That's not what I meant- I mean-" He groaned and smacked his head on the wall behind him. "Damn it."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

Pressing his fingers into the tear glands above his nose, attempting to relieve the pressure building in his head, he took a very deep breath, before trying to speak again. "Tali, I shouldn't be the one to tell you about how you look. I'm in… hell, I don't know what I am to Commander Shepard right now, but we were in love Tali. I'm pretty sure we still are, and I don't want to-"

She placed her hand on his knee, stopping his tirade. He looked at her, realizing that she was much closer. "Please; tell me."

Closing his eyes, knowing he was something akin to the bug trapped between a rock and a rather hard place, let out a breath. "Ok; ok. Yes, Tali, you are beautiful."

He heard her sharp intake of breath. "Really?"

"Yes, Tali. Really."

He had absolutely no warning, no inkling of an idea of what came next. He felt her breath on his face, and opened his eyes in time to see her press her lips against his. He was so surprised that he initially didn't react. He could hear a small voice in the back of his head, screaming at him that this was an absolutely horrible idea. However, the lips pressed against his quickly drowned out that voice.

Taking his lack of reaction as a sign of encouragement, Tali's mouth opened, her tongue snaking out. The sensation was strange enough that he reacted without thinking, reciprocating the gesture. He very quickly discovered that her tongue was much more malleable, flexible, and a bit longer than his, as it wrapped completely around his tongue. Finally, some random synapse fired in the back of his head, and realizing what he was doing, he gently pushed her away, breaking the kiss.

Trying to regain his balance, taking deep breaths, he stammered out, "T-Tali, I don't think we should do this right now. We're both still riding the adrenaline from that… that chase, and there hasn't been a lot of time to think. Lets… lets just take a step back, and not… not take this any further. Ok?"

She nodded, licking her lips. "Y-yeah. Right." He dimly noticed that her pupils were dilated. He had barely a moment's notice, seeing her tense up, just before she was on him again, her mouth pressed into his. Barely a few moments into the second kiss, he heard a clasp disengage. Ethan nearly jumped when he felt her three-fingered hand on his face and neck, the skin of her fingers feeling a bit more leathery than he was used to. As her other hand came up to his face, only one thought went through his head.

'_You're fucked, Ethan. Well and royally fucked._'

Tali attempted to shift, standing up and beginning to sit on his lap, when her weight fell onto his injured leg. The sudden weight caused him to let out a yelp of pain, wincing and twitching in pain. The girl practically launched herself across the shuttle bay, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, Ethan! I didn't mean to hurt you-"

He held up a hand, quieting her down. With a shake of his head, he muttered, "It's ok. Let's… let's just stay on opposite sides of the shuttle for now. Please."

She simply nodded, sitting down in the corner opposite from him, looking at the floor in front of her. Neither of them said anything for a time, merely letting the shuttle ride pass on in silence. Ethan tried to keep his slightly labored breathing as quiet as possible, not wanting to give Tali any reason to check on him, to come any closer. He wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to resist a third time if she approached him again anytime soon.

Thankfully, mercifully, the shuttle ride came to an end shortly after that. A few moments after the engine powered down, the door slid open, revealing a landing pad attached to a building. Looking out, Ethan saw two soldiers standing on either side of the shuttle door, their backs to them. Tali quickly wrapped the scarf around her helmet again, hiding her face from view. Once she finished, the two of them left the shuttle, Tali helping Ethan walk with an arm around him. Thanks to what had happened in the shuttle, he was more than acutely aware of her other hand, pressed against his chest.

They hadn't made it more than fifteen feet from the shuttle when a pair of med-techs came running out, both pushing wheelchairs. Ethan was more than happy to sit himself down in the chair, taking the weight off of his injured leg completely. He saw Tali sit in the other one, allowing the med-techs to haul them into the facility proper.

* * *

After a long series of tests and scans, an Asari doctor stood in front of Ethan, lying down in a medical bed.

"Greetings Agent Barrow; I am doctor Viana." She pulled up her Omni-tool, and bringing up her diagram, began speaking, "After scanning your injuries, we've determined that a batch of our experimental medi-gel should be able to knit the muscle back together more thoroughly, allowing your leg to heal much more rapidly."

Ethan, despite himself, asked, "What about Tali?"

Viana raised an eye ridge at him in curiosity, but replied, "She is doing remarkably well, for a Quarian exposed to unfiltered air. She was immediately taken to a clean room and given a new mask to replace her broken one. She had a slight concussion, but once we applied medi-gel to the area affected, it almost immediately reduced the swelling. She's been much quieter and reserved since then, and hasn't spoken more than a few words to anyone, other than to ask how you were doing."

His brow furrowed, Ethan asked, "Doctor, with Quarian physiology… does having a concussion affect them differently than it would a human? Do they show any unusual signs or behaviors?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Wait… there could be a chance of reduced inhibitions, similar to consuming a minor to moderate amount of alcohol. But only in certain cases. It depends on the area of the brain affected by the concussion. Honestly, with their negligible immune systems, it hasn't been a recordable problem since before they were driven from their homeworld by the Geth." Tapping her lip with her finger, she nodded. "Actually, considering where her head hit, that's a likely symptom. Why? Did she seem different in her behavior?"

"Yeah, a little bit. But now that I know why, nothing too out of the ordinary, considering the circumstances." Ethan glanced down at his leg, then back up at Viana. "How long will this new medi-gel take in healing my leg?"

The doctor brought up a scan of his leg, showing the extent of the damaged tissue. "Much of the wound was previously healed, and the damage done in the crash merely caused the surface layers to reopen. The medi-gel should be able to repair the wound in a few hours." Her Omni-tool beeped, which caused her to read the message on it. "I'd stay and talk longer, but I do still have other patients to tend to. I'll be back later to check on you."

His only reply was a nod, as the Asari doctor left him to his conflicted thoughts. He felt his emotions warring with each other, his feelings for Shepard clashing with his experience with Tali in the shuttle. The more he thought about it, the more his head pounded and throbbed. Finally, he just laid back and tried to sleep, pushing all of the thoughts out of his mind long enough to relax.

* * *

_Sitting down for his evening meal, Ethan couldn't help but ask, "Hey Wrex, what exactly do Quarians look like underneath their masks?"_

_The Krogan paused his eating, turning and giving him a quizzical look. "Why do you want to know?"_

_Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Why do you think, you big dinosaur? I'm curious."_

_Wrex put down his piece of meat as he let out a sigh. "Alright; well, what most people have forgotten is that Quarians look pretty similar to humans and Asari, but different enough to be distinguishable, exotic in some cases. While interspecies relationships were pretty rare, once someone got snared by a Quarian, it was a pretty big deal. For the Quarian, at least."_

"_Why is that?"_

_The Krogan smirked. "Why? Because Quarians mate for life, my friend. Sure, they can get laid a few times here and there, no big deal. But once they imprint on someone, and the other person reciprocates the feelings, it's a lifetime gig. They become bondmates. It takes things to a whole new level for them, mentally and physically." His smirk shrank slightly, as another thought occurred to him. "That said, Quarians bonded to other species ran a huge risk doing so. While bonded Quarians are physically unable to cheat on their bondmate, other species have no such qualms. To cheat on a bonded Quarian, to break that bond, is so harmful to the Quarian bondmate that it can literally kill them. At the very least, it'll likely drive them insane."_

_Ethan let out a low whistle. "Sounds like a relationship with a Quarian really means 'til death do thus part,' huh?"_

_Wrex nodded, getting unusually solemn. "You have no idea."_

* * *

Ethan woke up some time later, the pain in his leg nearly completely gone. Glancing down, he saw a medi-gel patch placed over his thigh, covering the wound. He moved to sit up, only to find a weight on his side. Looking over, he saw Tali sitting in a chair, asleep, her helmet on his arm, her hand holding his. He let out a sigh, before using his other hand to gently shake the girl awake. Her head shot up, eyes darting around, before coming to rest on him. She visibly relaxed, before speaking. "Sorry."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

She shrugged, looking down. "For falling asleep on you. For what happened in the shuttle."

He gently patted her shoulder. "Relax; you had a head injury, and you probably weren't thinking clearly. Put all that together with the adrenaline from the dance and the running from Cerberus, plus finding out about your immune system… yeah, I'm not all that surprised that you acted without thinking. Many people would have in the same situation." He paused for a moment. "Though I do have to ask one thing."

Tali looked back up at him, her head tilted slightly. "What?"

With a raised eyebrow, he gestured to his hand, which she was still holding. "Why fall asleep holding my hand?"

She looked down, as though she hadn't even noticed, before pulling her hand away as though it had been dipped in scalding water. Her eyes jumped between his face and her hand multiple times as she stuttered about. "I, uh, well, you see, um-"

He grabbed her hand, getting her to stop. "Relax, Tali. I'm not mad. I was just curious." With that, he let go, letting his hands fall back down onto the bed. With a raised eyebrow, he asked rhetorically, "So, I guess the whole, 'just being friends' thing wasn't really on the top of your list, was it?"

Before she could utter a word, the building suddenly shook, a dull rumble momentarily filling the room. Tali looked around the room, clearly confused, while Ethan immediately sat up, moving to stand. "Ethan, what was that?"

As he stood up, he tested his weight, making sure his leg was healed enough to use. "That, Tali, was the sound of an explosion somewhere inside the building." Satisfied, he stood up, and pealed off the medi-gel patch. The skin beneath was pink and tender, but the leg seemed fully healed. "We need to find weapons and armor, and get out of here before whoever set that explosive finds us."

Hearing footsteps, Ethan spun towards the door, dropping into a combat stance, only to relax when doctor Viana came into sight, the Asari running as fast as she could. She skidded to a halt, trying to catch her breath. "You need to get out of here, Agent Barrow. It would seem that Cerberus traced you here."

His eyes widened. "What? How?"

The Asari looked him over, asking, "Do you have anything on you that belonged to Cerberus? Armor, an Omni-tool, anything?"

He nodded, holding up his arm. "Yeah, this Omni-tool came from one of their facilities."

Bringing up her own Omni-tool, Viana scanned his device. She swore, pulling his arm closer to remove the device. "They've been tracking you since you landed." With a swift toss, the device smashed onto the ground, the casing cracking. With a press of a button, the doctor incinerated the offending device in a flash. Running another scan over him, she nodded. "No more tracking signals detected; you're clean."

Tali looked between the two of them. "What are we going to do? How do we get out of here?"

Viana brought up her Omni-tool, showing a layout of the building they were in. "This building is mostly comprised of offices. Where we are, here," she gestured to a glowing point somewhere about two thirds up in the building, "is a private medical ward, catering to rather exorbitantly rich people. While not directly tied to the Shadow Broker, he does provide a substantial amount of funds to this facility, as well as a few key personnel, such as myself, for his higher echelon operatives. Our surveillance paints a large number of Cerberus troops entering the lower levels, as well as a myriad of craft patrolling the skies, including a single gunship."

Ethan resisted the urge to groan in annoyance. "So how about we get to the part that leads to escaping?"

At this, the doctor gets a slightly pensive look to her face. "Well, I have an idea. Something usually used by smugglers to get illegal goods past security scans."

She hesitated, so he prodded her. "And that is…?"

* * *

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." Ethan stared down at the container, almost disbelieving. "You expect both of us to fit in _that?!_"

Doctor Viana glared at him. "It's the most likely plan to work. There's too many of them to fight off, and any other attempt to escape in a hurry will have them following us like Varren in heat."

He began to slowly pace, voicing his thoughts. "So this container will shield our life signs from scanners, allowing us to pass by unnoticed. They pop the top lid, and see three or four layers of medical supplies, while the two of us are hidden in a secret container beneath those supplies, squeezed inside of it like sardines in a can."

Though the Asari doctor gave him a strange look, she nonetheless nodded. "Precisely."

Letting out a sigh, he turned back towards Viana. "How long do you think we'd be in there?"

"No more than an hour or two. We'd need to reach a safe distance to ensure their scanners don't pick up your life signs suddenly appearing once we pop the lid off."

Stepping up to the side of the container, he began examining the dimensions of space in the hidden portion. "Is there a way to open it from the inside if something were to go wrong?"

Viana stepped up next to him, and gestured to a small access port. "Right here. It's fairly simple. Just be careful; the last thing we need is you accidentally opening it up while we're inside their scanner range." The Asari hesitated, before continuing, "Unfortunately, while I was measuring the dimensions of the container, I realized that your companion's helmet won't fit properly inside the container."

Tali immediately began fidgeting, shifting her weight back and forth. "B-but I don't- I can't-"

The doctor held up a hand. "Don't worry; I contacted the Broker, and he gave me the information about your… current status. Your secret is safe with me." Pointing to a small hatch in the bottom of the container, she explained, "Your helmet should come apart in small enough pieces to fit in here. That way, you both will fit inside."

Another explosion rocked the building, this time much closer to their floor.

"Look, we can argue about this, or you two can just get inside, and we can get out of here. Got it?"

Ethan wanted to swear, curse, and possibly strangle someone at the unfortunate circumstances that were practically conspiring against him. "Fine. Let's go."

He lowered himself into the container, laying down on his back as Tali disassembled her helmet. She quickly stored the pieces in the small compartment at their feet, before hesitantly lowering herself into the container with him. Because of the lack of width, part of her torso had to rest on top of his chest and arm, the girl doing her best not to appear uncomfortable. The doctor appeared overhead, giving the two of them a nod. "Here we go. I hope neither of you are claustrophobic."

With that, the lid moved over them, dropping in place, and sealing with a slight hiss. A small humming noise began, signaling the air recycling unit was active, and a small light came on at their feet, giving the interior of the box a bluish glow. Ethan did his best to ignore the fact that Tali was half laying across him, her bare head resting on his shoulder. With a sigh, he whispered, "Whelp… this is awkward."

Tali shifted slightly, muttering, "You'd think the Shadow Broker's people could come up with a better solution than to hide in a box."

Ethan could only nod. "Yeah, I'm really starting to wonder about that myself, actually…"

They stayed quiet for a while, as they felt the container move across the floor. They could hear muffled voices, and when they heard yelling, both of them held their breath, not daring to breathe. Finally, after what felt like forever, the container began to move again. They both let out a sigh of relief. He shifted his head, trying to keep his neck from kinking up, only to feel his cheek brush up against Tali's cheek. He heard her gasp, reflexively pulling away from him.

"Sorry; didn't mean to startle you."

She shook her head. "It's ok. I'm… I'm not used to feeling the touch of anyone else on my skin. It's very… I'm not even sure I know how to really describe it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Intoxicating?"

"Yes, that's it. Intoxicating…"

Hearing her voice begin to dip at the word, he turned his head to face her. She was staring at his face, eyes wide with curiosity. Before she could do anything, however, he spoke up. "Tali, regardless of the fact that I'm in some kind of relationship with Commander Shepard, one of the most dangerous and deadly women in the galaxy, regardless of how conflicted my feelings are right now, and regardless of the fact of how much making out would pass the time more quickly, do you think that now is _really_ the best time?"

It was at this moment that Ethan began to think that the galaxy itself was conspiring against him. The crate was jostled, knocking Tali into him, her face colliding with his. Though it wasn't hard enough to hurt either of them, it was enough to obliterate the distance barrier that had kept them apart. Her lips were against his, and he knew he had already lost. In such a tight and confining space, he had nowhere to go, and no way to push her away. Having no other viable options, short of knocking her unconscious, he returned the kiss. A small part of his mind was grateful for the fact it was far too tight a space for anything else to happen.

* * *

A/N: I'd love to know how Shepard will react once she finds out about this.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Ok… so I had a lot of time on my hands the past few days…

I noticed one review saying Tali forced herself onto Ethan. Well… yes and no; on the shuttle, it was mentioned that she had a minor concussion. Couple that with her first non-suited experience since being put into the thing. Yeah; if you were stuck in a suit for most of a decade, then could experience the touch of another person, wouldn't you take full advantage of it? I sure as hell would. Never mind the fact Ethan's the first guy to treat her like an equal. Not a thief, and not an admiral's daughter.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 10

Ethan awoke some time later to the top of the crate being lifted away, the light above blinding him. He held one hand up to shield his eyes, his other arm, wrapped around Tali, squeezing slightly. He heard a chuckle above him, before doctor Viana's form became visible through the light. "Time to wake up, lovebirds."

He glared at the Asari as he lifted himself out of the box, pulling his arm away from Tali. "That's not even close to what things are right now." Glancing around, he gingerly crawled out of the box, stretching his legs and back. "Since I don't see a squad of Cerberus goons, I would assume we made it out of there?"

Viana nodded. "You would be correct. Thankfully, they were not too concerned with an Asari doctor, and let me pass with my supplies with no problems."

Ethan nodded as he reached down, helping Tali stand up and get out of the container, the girl quickly reassembling her helmet over her head. "Good. So, where are we now?"

At this, the doctor smiled. "We're on one of the Shadow Broker's corvettes. It was the closest one to our position, and was the only one currently not on assignment, aside from the Spectre utilizing it at the moment."

His brow furrowed as he looked at the doctor. "Spectre? Who?"

Another feminine voice sounded out behind him. "Well, well, so these were the rats hiding inside the crate."

Turning, Ethan's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the Spectre in front of him. "Tela Vasir?"

The Asari smirked, giving him a mock bow. "In the flesh. I see you've heard of me. Well, I've heard of you too, Ethan Barrow; the personal assassin of the Shadow Broker, who answers directly to the Broker, and only the Broker. To what do I owe the pleasure of saving your sorry hide, hm?"

His eyes narrowing slightly, he icily replied, "Cerberus troops were after me. They had captured me at some point, and either before or during that time, I was suffering from amnesia. Hopefully before. They put some kind of implant in my head; it does some rather interesting things. Regardless, they seem to want it back."

The Spectre's smirk merely grew. "I could see where that might be a problem for you. Particularly if your plan is to stay among the living."

Ethan shook his head. "It's not important. Look, can you take us to the Normandy?"

Vasir shrugged, shifting her weight to one leg as she folded her arms. "I could, if it was still on-planet. They left about an hour ago; I didn't track them because I didn't know it was important."

Tali spoke up, "They left us here? Didn't they even try looking for us?"

It took all of his willpower to keep his emotions in check; a real challenge, considering how much of a train wreck his emotions had become in less than twelve hours. "Why did they leave so soon? Did the Normandy receive any priority transmissions from anywhere?"

Tela Vasir nodded as she walked over to a terminal in the middle of the small room. "Now that you mention it, I think they did. A high priority Systems Alliance transmission was routed to the hangar where the Normandy was docked. They left less than an hour later. But that still doesn't tell us where they could have gone; they could be halfway across the galaxy by now."

Glancing around, Ethan asked, "Do you happen to have a spare Omni-tool? My last one was, uh, _borrowed_ from Cerberus and was how they were tracking me."

Vasir nodded, and walked towards the cockpit. "Just wait here; and don't touch anything." A few moments later, she returned, tossing the small device towards him. "Go ahead and keep it. I always make sure to have a few spares, just in case."

"Thanks." He quickly input his information, allowing the device to download his information. Thankfully, it didn't appear any of his data was compromised, allowing him to check his messages and other data. He found only one message from Wrex. His brow furrowed when he realized that Shepard hadn't even tried to contact him. "The hell…?"

Tali stepped up next to him. "What is it?"

He waved her off. "Later." He deactivated the Omni-tool, and looked up at the Spectre. "Vasir, do you have any current assignments?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing right now. Just finished one, actually. Why?"

"Two things; one, I have a friend to pick up. Second, we'll need a ride. Ever heard of Noveria?"

Vasir's good mood suddenly vanished. "You need to go to _that _corporate piss hole? Ugh. Whatever. Who's the friend you need to pick up?"

Ethan couldn't help but smirk. "Someone who occasionally does work for the Broker anyways. He stayed behind from the Normandy to look for me."

* * *

As the airlock door cycled open, Ethan extended his hand to the Krogan walking through the door. "Nice of you to join us, Wrex."

He just laughed. "Leave it to you to run off, scaring the shit out of everyone else on the crew. Shepard was practically pulling her hair out." He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped, his eyes narrowing. He took one whiff of Ethan, before his face took on a shit-eating grin. "That said, I'm looking forward to killing some more things soon." The look on Wrex's face told him the Krogan wanted to talk about more than just killing things.

A voice sounded out behind the two of them. "Ah, Wrex. Good to know you're still hobbling about."

He looked around Ethan, grimacing. "Vasir. Still whoring your services out to the highest bidder?"

"Just like you, old man."

Ethan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Alright, children, play nice. We have places to be and things to kill. Preferably not each other." Turning back to Wrex, he asked, "What did I miss after Tali and I took off running from Cerberus?"

The Krogan raised an eye ridge. "So it _was_ Cerberus? Figures. Kaidan and Ashley both took off trying to follow you, Garrus called security, then the police, and Liara stood there, completely shell shocked. We all would have tried following you, but Shepard got called off on some mission to hunt down Geth. I stayed behind, just in case you needed help. Good thing I did, it seems."

"Wrex, what did you do while the rest of the squad did their thing?"

He just smirked. "I know you better than them; I stayed and kept drinking."

Ethan wanted to be annoyed, but he knew he couldn't; not at Wrex. Shaking his head, he punched the Krogan on the should. "Thanks for nothing, bonehead."

Laughing, Wrex gave Ethan a one handed shove, pushing him back a few feet. "I knew you'd call for help later on, after you got away. A guy with your skillset wouldn't want a big walking tank like myself slowing you down. With all that assassin training, you'd be more adept at escape with someone small, lithe, and fast. I also figured I'd wait for your call since you'd want to make sure _Tali,_" he put extra emphasis on the name, "was safe."

Glaring at the Krogan, Ethan spoke up, "Vasir, do you have somewhere Wrex and I can have a private chat?"

The Spectre looked between the two, clearly amused. "Sure; back of the room, the door on the left."

Without a word, Ethan spun in place, and walked towards the door. He could hear Wrex stomping along behind him. Just as soon as the door closed behind the two of them, Ethan rounded on the other male. "Seriously Wrex, what the fuck?!"

Nonplussed, Wrex shrugged. "What?"

Narrowing his eyes, he continued, "What's with all the not so subtle hints out there, huh?"

Understanding dawning on his face, Wrex rebutted, "I could ask you why you reek of Quarian. Or more specifically, _unsuited_ Quarian?" Seeing the shocked look on Ethan's face, he explained. "Kid, I don't forget smells. Especially not the really unique ones."

Ethan groaned, pressing his fingers into his eyes. "Her visor broke when we crashed an aircar running from Cerberus. On our way to a medical facility, she kissed me. I'm pretty sure that was due to the concussion she got. Then, when Cerberus attacked the medical facility where we were, our 'brilliant' doctor out there stuck us both into the bottom of a smuggling container. Tali's helmet wouldn't fit, so she had to go in without it. It didn't take long before she was kissing me again, and I couldn't exactly push her away in that damnably tight space."

A small smile reaching the corner of his mouth, the Krogan asked, "Did you want to push her away?"

A myriad of emotions warred across Ethan's face. "Y-yes… no… oh hell, I don't know!" Leaning against the wall, he glared at Wrex. "You don't get it. I stayed celibate for twelve years, Wrex."

The Krogan's eyes grew wide. "You don't mean…"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded. "Yes Wrex, I haven't gotten laid in over a decade. Because I was _waiting to be with Shepard again_. Now do you understand why I've been so conflicted? Sure, Marie and I were only together for less than a year, and we were both young. But I almost signed my life away to marriage with that woman! You don't make a commitment like that without some serious thought. But now… now, here I am, stuck with this Quarian girl who's attracted to me like a Varren to steak, and I keep finding myself stuck in scenarios where there's fuck-all I can do to stop her. What's worse, is the more this keeps happening, the less I find myself even wanting to stop her." Shooting another glare at Wrex, he added. "Not that you've been helping much in that regard."

Wrex shook his head. "Don't blame me for it. I just spoke my mind on what I saw. Any attraction you have for that girl is your own fault. All I did was point it out."

Rubbing his eyes, Ethan muttered much quieter. "Yeah, I guess you did. Still, it would have been much nicer if you'd just kept quiet about it all. Maybe then nothing would have happened."

"You lie to yourself if you want, Ethan. But regardless of how things got this far, you can't just ignore it, or her."

Neither of them said anything for a few moments, simply standing there. Finally, Ethan smirked a little, looking at Wrex. "I don't suppose you'd have any advice on what I should do, do you?"

In a move that surprised Ethan, Wrex gently grasped his shoulder, giving him a serious look. "You should follow your heart. Regardless of anything else, you do what your heart tells you to."

"Wow; that seems rather insightful of you, Wrex."

A large, toothy grin was his response. "Of course it was. You don't get to my age and not learn a thing or two about love."

Smiling back, Ethan replied, "Oh, and what age is that, anyways? 'Old as dirt,' right?"

"Laugh it up, Pyjak." Taking a breath, the large Krogan regarded him with a keen eye. "The point still stands. If your heart points towards the suit rat, don't hold back because of a fling you had twelve years ago. If it's with the Commander, you let Tali know ASAP, before she starts bonding to you."

"Gah. This is not what I need right now. I should be focusing on trying to prevent the end of sentient life in the galaxy from the Reapers, not my freaking _love life!_"

Wrex just let out a hearty laugh. "Be that as it may, you have to take care of the small stuff too. Your love life counts."

A third voice caused both of them to jump slightly. "Not that I know anyone involved, but if you didn't have feelings for the Quarian, you wouldn't be having any problems coming to a decision. And as touching as this has been to watch, I have work to do, so if you don't mind, could you take your personal problems somewhere else?"

Ethan and Wrex both smirked at each other as they realized doctor Viana had been in the room the whole time. "Sorry to bother you, doc. We'll just be going now."

As they left the room, Ethan looked more closely to the layout of the small corvette. There was a central CIC type room, with a galaxy map in the center, with about half a dozen terminals around it. There was a command console at the back, and at the front of the room, sat the cockpit. In the back of the room, there were three doors, two on opposite corners and one in the middle. The left door led to the med-bay Ethan had just been in with Wrex, while the other led to another room. The middle one was open, and had a circular staircase going down, just wide enough for a Krogan.

Vasir spoke up from behind him, "The stairs go down to a small mess hall and the crew quarters. Since I've got the ship to myself, they've all been mostly empty. You all can use the bunks for the duration of our trip. We'll hit Noveria in about ten hours. Enjoy."

With that, the Spectre walked past them, and into the room on the right, likely the Captain's cabin. Not seeing anyone else left, Ethan shrugged, and walked down the stairs himself. Reaching the bottom, he saw a small table and kitchenette, as well as a door on the opposite side of the room, the door open and showing a handful of bunks. He saw Tali sitting at the table, staring at her hands, otherwise not moving. With a sigh, Ethan stepped closer. "Hey, Tali."

As he sat down across from her, the two of them stared at each other, neither saying anything. After what felt like an eternity, he opened his mouth to speak, only to find both of them speaking at the same time.

"Listen-"

"I just-"

They stared at each other another moment, before Ethan grinned. Tali bashfully looked away. He took a deep breath, trying to collect his jumbled thoughts, before trying to speak again.

"Tali, I just wanted to say… well, I know that you have feelings for me. I just… yeah… Let me start over. I've been given a bit of advice from a friend, and… Oh hell; Tali, I think I have feelings for you, too."

The girl's entire body seemed to lift up, her voice hopeful as she asked, "You do?"

He nodded, running a hand through his short hair. "Yeah. I just want to say, though, I don't want to rush things, Tali. For one thing, I still need to talk to Shepard about all of this, and I don't know how well she'll take it. I also need some time… I need to sort out all of my feelings on this, so I don't inadvertently do more damage than good, to either Shepard or you."

Tali looked at him, nodding her head as he spoke. "I think I understand. I have a question, though. Why have you changed your mind? About the Commander, I mean?"

Ethan's gaze dropped to the table, his arms crossing over his chest. "The more I started to think about it, the more I realized that, while I had waited all these years, what I felt for her then turned into this… this sense of duty, I guess. That somehow, I owed it to her to wait for her, even though she thought I was dead. I know I loved her back then, but now…"

The Quarian across from him gingerly, slowly reached across the table, placing her hand on his arm. "Now?"

Hesitantly, he looked up at her. "Now, every time I close my eyes, the only thing I see is your face."

He could see her eyes widen. "Really?"

He smirked a bit, "Actually, first it was just your eyes, before I had seen beneath your mask. Now, though, yeah; I keep seeing your face when I close my eyes." Taking a deep breath, he looked away. "I think I was lying to myself before, that I only saw you as a friend. That was part of why I talked to you about just being friends the other day on the catwalk in the hangar." He stopped as he heard footsteps, so he stood up. "Follow me."

The two of them stepped into crew quarters, and closed the door behind them, giving them a bit more privacy. He turned as he heard her yawn, the girl visibly restraining herself from stretching. He smirked at her.

"You wouldn't happen to be tired, would you?"

She shrugged, her hands wringing. "A little."

Nodding, he gestured to the bunks. "Well, we've got plenty of time to grab some shuteye; just pick a bunk and get some rest."

"Ok."

He stepped over, and quickly laid down in the bunk next to the wall. He saw Tali pick the bunk right next to his, lying down onto it, facing the ceiling. He then spent the next ten minutes watching the girl repeatedly attempt to get comfortable, with no success. Finally, after a few more minutes, he smirked, then stood up, knowing she couldn't see him with her back to him. He gently lowered himself down behind her, then put his arm around her form, resting on her stomach. She jumped, and nearly turned over, when he whispered, "Relax. You're making me tired just watching you toss and turn."

Realizing what he was doing, he felt her relax, scooting back so her body pressed into his, taking his hand in hers. She didn't move anymore. He quickly fell asleep after that.

* * *

_Ethan stood within the lair of the Shadow Broker, staring at the holographic image floating in the center of the room. In the image, was an Alliance facility, with many hundreds of personnel standing at attention, their dress uniforms spotless and pristine. His eyes, however, were focused on one figure, standing next to the podium._

_Footsteps echoed through the room, as the Turian Shadow Broker stepped up next to him. "She looks good standing there, wouldn't you say?"_

_Ethan merely nodded, watching her receive her promotion to Commander after the events at Elysium. Though there was no sound, he could almost hear the words being spoken._

_The Broker waited a moment, before asking, "Ethan, I know we've discussed many plans on how to prepare for the Reapers. We've even implemented a number of them already. However, I have yet to hear what your plans are for yourself, your personal life. Are you going to return to her?"_

_He hesitated, before replying, "Of course."_

_The Broker turned to face him. "Ethan, do you still love her?"_

_Ethan rounded on the Turian. "What kind of question is that? Of course I still-"_

_The Broker held up a hand, his green eyes piercing straight through him. "I know you better than that, Ethan. I can tell when you're lying."_

_The Human spun back to the floating image of the newly minted Commander Shepard. "It doesn't matter; I made a promise to her father. I told him I would take care of her. They wouldn't let me save them, you know; her parents. I told them what was coming, and neither of them would let me change it. But he made me promise, damn it." He turned his head to the Turian. "Do I still love her? I don't honestly know. Maybe, maybe not. But I can't break a promise to a dying man."_

_There was a snort behind the two of them. "Pathetic. Promises to the dead mean nothing. If you do not love her, you will only cause more harm than good."_

_Ethan turned to regard the Prothean. "Javik, I wouldn't expect you to say something like that; haven't you promised to avenge your people? They're all dead."_

_Javik glared at him. "I made no promises to the dead. My vengeance is for myself. What I do now, I do for myself. You would do well to think on that, Human."_

* * *

Ethan woke to someone smacking his shoulder. "Hey, Pyjak, wake up."

Opening one eye, he saw Wrex standing above him, smirking. "What for?"

Rolling his eyes, the Krogan responded, "Because we just hit orbit above Noveria. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for breakfast."

Ethan shook his head as he sat up, noticing Tali was still lying there. "Wrex, you're _always_ ready for breakfast; or lunch… actually, you're ready to eat whenever food comes out."

He nodded, "You got that right. Hurry up and wake up your new girlfriend." With that, he stomped out, leaving the two of them alone again.

Leaning over, he shook Tali's shoulder. "Hey, Tali. It's time to get up." She mumbled something incoherent, letting out a groan as she swatted at his hand. A thought came to mind, so he spoke, "Tali, I need help changing my shirt."

There was a pause, before the girl sat up and turned to look at him, eyes wide. "What?!"

He smirked, patting her leg. "I thought that'd wake you up. We're at Noveria. I don't know about you, but I'm sure that place has better food than we've got on this ship."

Tali let out a sigh, her head falling. "Not for Quarians."

Ethan furrowed his brow in thought, before an idea popped into his head. He snapped his fingers. "I have an idea; wait here."

Before she could ask, he stood up and jogged out of the room. He moved through the mess and up the spiral staircase, before coming to a stop in the CIC. He saw Vasir standing there, working on a terminal. She looked up at him, an eye ridge raised. "Yeah?"

"How quickly do you think we can get a crate of Turian food supplies onboard?"

The Spectre's other eye ridge joined the first. "Turian food? For the Quarian? Hell, I've already got a crate of Turian food aboard, right alongside the Human food, Salarian food, and Krogan food. They're all marked. But the Quarian can't eat unpurified food, right?"

Ethan hesitated, before shrugging. "I don't know if you're supposed to know this yet, but the Broker and I came up with a plan to fix the Quarian race's immune system. It worked. So no, it doesn't have to be purified."

Mentally connecting the dots, Vasir smirked. "So she just found out, and you're going to surprise her with an actual meal." She shook her head, before closing the terminal. "This I've got to watch. You'll need pointers to make sure you don't blow up the kitchen. Unless, of course, you've cooked Turian food before?" Seeing the look on his face, she shook her head. "I didn't think so."

* * *

Ethan grimaced as he jumped between three pans, trying not to burn anything, all the while, Wrex, Viana, and Vasir all sat back, watching him cook.

"Make sure you stir the left one… watch that you don't burn the fnu'za."

Turning, Ethan shot the Spectre a glare. "I don't care how old or good at fighting you are. I'm half tempted to see if this spoon will fit through your nostril. Sideways."

Wrex heartily laughed, his hand reaching out. "Give me the spoon. I'll try."

Vasir's hand became wreathed in a small biotic glow. "Just give me a reason to pummel you, Wrex. One. Damn. Reason."

Ethan yelled over his shoulder. "Both of you, shut up!"

Surprisingly, they both quieted down, turning their attention back to his abysmal attempt at cooking. A few minutes later, he set the plate down on the table, his nose scrunched up at the smell. Wrex glanced down at it, then up at him. "You sure you did it right?"

He shrugged at the question. "I couldn't tell you."

Viana spoke up, "It looks about right… I think."

The Asari Spectre turned towards the direction of the crew quarters, yelling, "Hey Quarian, get out here! Your boyfriend made your breakfast!"

A few moments later, Tali stepped out, her eyes wide behind her visor. "He did what?"

Ethan gestured to the table, a pensive look on his face. "I, uh, tried to make you breakfast. I figured that since your immune system is strong enough, that you'd like solid food for once."

Wordlessly, Tali sat down at the table, and took off her mask. The two Asari and Krogan were all speechless as they looked at Tali's face. Ethan could tell she seemed somewhat intimidated. He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile of encouragement.

"You don't have to worry about them, Tali. They're all old enough to remember what Quarians looked like before the suits. It's just been a while for them."

She nodded, and after some confusion, managed to figure out how to use the silverware. Taking her first bite, it had scarcely entered her mouth, when she practically melted, savoring the food. Ethan couldn't help but smile. Wrex nudged him, smiling as well, "Go figure; you didn't totally fuck it up, Pyjak."

Vasir's Omni-tool chirped, taking her attention away from the scene in front of her. Reading a message, she swore. "Damnit. It would seem that Noveria security seems to think that they have authority over me. Excuse me; I have to knock a few heads around." The Spectre quickly left, leaving everyone else there.

Doctor Viana smiled at Tali. "It's good to see that the Shadow Broker is doing something like this to help your people. It goes to show he's not just in it for the power or the money." She stood, and turned to leave. "I'll let you two enjoy yourselves down here."

Wrex shook his head as he stood as well. "Never thought I'd live to see the day…"

A few moments later, Ethan and Tali were the only ones left in the room. Tali looked up to him, but he just shrugged, moving to sit down across from her. She looked at him, chewing all the while. "Thank you for breakfast, Ethan."

He just shrugged, waving away the praise. "It was nothing. I'm just lucky I didn't scorch it all to hell." After a moment, Ethan stood up, and began cleaning some of the dishes. "Now to make my own breakfast."

As he began frying a pair of flash-frozen eggs, Tali asked, "I wonder why they all left?"

Ethan paused, thinking. "Knowing Wrex, and guessing the other two are of a similar mind to him, they probably think we're going to be down here having sex or something."

"O-oh!"

Glancing over his shoulder, he smirked to see Tali blushing, her cheeks turning a bright violet. "Relax Tali, that's not happening for a while. Aside from the fact that we've got a bit of research to even see how that would work, I'm nowhere near comfortable enough for that, and likely won't be for a while."

She nodded, turning back to the remnants of her breakfast. Ethan quickly finished cooking, and sat down across from her, and began eating his own food. scarcely had he done so, then gunfire echoed through the ship. Jumping from his seat, Ethan grabbed the pistol from his ankle, and ran up the spiral staircase, moving towards the CIC, Tali hot on his heels while replacing her visor. He ran around the holographic terminal in the center of the room towards the airlock, only to skid to a halt, seeing a dead security guard on the floor. Ethan recognized the woman as Matsuo, the only levelheaded security guard that he knew of in all of Noveria. He looked up at Vasir, glaring. She glared right back. "Those pricks thought they could try to take my own fucking ship from me." She pumped her shotgun, moving towards the airlock. "Time for a fucking lesson in Spectreship 101!"

"Vasir!" The Asari paid him no mind, causing him to swear. He turned to Tali, "Wait here, inside the airlock. If any of them get past us, blast them, ok?"

The Quarian nodded, pumping her own shotgun. "Got it."

Ethan activated his Omni-tool, praying it had the Shadow Broker's signature stealth program installed. He smiled wide when he found it. With a press of a button, he vanished from view, moving out into the open section of the Noveria docking port. He could hear a voice over the intercom ordering security to stand down, but they continued to fire on Vasir's position. Ethan's eyes narrowed, his focus on the terrain; from storage crates to possible vantage points.

With a grin, he saw his opening. Running behind Vasir, he grabbed her combat knife from her back, earning a rather loud curse. He ran up a stack of crates, moving behind the security guard's positions. Dropping behind the farthest group of security, he rammed his borrowed knife into the spine of the first guard, dropping him silently. He was quick to move to the second guard, kicking his weapon away, before grabbing his head and violently twisting, snapping his neck. Seeing a bandolier of grenades on the body, he smirked, pressing the activation buttons on all of them, then shoved the body into the next line of defenders.

He managed to jump behind cover, just as they all detonated, throwing bodies and limbs in all directions. Somehow, a sniper rifle managed to land next to him, seemingly undamaged. Bringing it up, he sighted a few straggling survivors, still trying to regain their balance. Vasir was merciless, throwing a singularity in their midst. As they began floating, Ethan picked them off, one by one. In seconds, they were the only two left standing. His cloak finally gave out, making him visible again.

Vasir walked over to him, a predatory grin on her face. He tossed her the knife, the Asari catching it effortlessly. "Nice job, kid. Maybe I won't mind working with you more often."

"Aww." Both of them turned to the hatch, seeing Wrex standing there with a disappointed look on his face. "I missed all the fun."

Hearing sirens blaring from within the port, Vasir's predatory grin grew even wider. "Not yet you didn't."

* * *

A/N: Have I ever mentioned I never liked Noveria? Not the atmosphere, not the guards… somehow, I just know the next chapter is going to be _so much fun to write_.

Also, fuck waiting for Shepard. Vasir's a big girl Spectre; she can handle herself.

I was planning on shipping Ethan/Shepard for at least the entire first story… but it just seemed too dull to me, too rote. This at least gives some very, _very_ big potential for some serious drama.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Ok, I've had a fair bit of relatively negative feedback about the Tali/Ethan arc of the story. Guys, take a moment and reread this story description. See that part at the end? Where it says S/I x FemShep? Yeah, it's there for a reason. Please remember this is only as far as the first game in the story; the first game of three. There's a hell of a lot more story to cover. Don't expect rainbows and unicorns just yet. Please just be patient.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 11

Ethan grinned as he opened the crate Vasir had pointed him towards. "So you do keep extra armor stocked up, just in case."

Tela laughed. "Are you kidding? Of course I do; what kind of Spectre would I be if I didn't?"

They had returned to the ship after the first wave, in order for Ethan to get proper armor and weaponry. Thankfully, the armor seemed to fit, once he pulled it out and slipped it on over his clothing. "Vasir, does this armor have an optical camouflage module built in?"

"Yeah, it does. Should last for at least five minutes per pop, with a thirty second cool down phase."

He nodded appreciatively. "That'll do."

"Oh, Barrow?" He looked up, just as she tossed him a rather wickedly long, curved combat knife. "Here's your own. Don't take mine again."

He couldn't help but smirk. "What's the matter, don't like anyone else touching the goods?"

Tela Vasir slowly turned to look at him, her expression neutral. "Actually, no, I don't." They stared at each other for a short while, before the Spectre finally grinned. "I'm just fucking with you. I just don't like people touching my weapons. I've had my share of casual sex, so 'touching the goods' is no big deal."

Ethan grimaced as he picked up the sniper rifle that had formerly belonged to one of Noveria's security department. "I could have gone my entire life without knowing that. Thanks for nothing."

The Asari was far too satisfied with herself as she replied, "Any time."

Wrex grunted from the airlock. "If you two are done flirting, they're sending out a squad of troopers in heavy gear."

Ethan walked up behind the Krogan, asking, "What are they doing?"

"They're setting up barricades on the far end of the dock. Doesn't look like they're dumb enough to try rushing the airlock. Pity. Would've been fun if they had."

He shook his head at Wrex, before patting his shoulder. "I'm heading out. I'll see what I can find out once I'm inside. If there's a peaceful solution, I'll try to find it. Otherwise, I'll send you a signal, and flank them when you attack from the front. Got it?"

Wrex nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

Just before he activated his cloak, Tali spoke up. "Ethan?" As he turned, he saw her fidgeting with her hands. "Be careful?"

He smiled at her, "Of course. Stick close to Wrex; he'll keep you safe." His smile turned wry as he added, "Just because your immune system is fixed, it doesn't make you bullet proof. Make sure you remember that."

Slipping on his helmet, he quickly activated the camouflage system, and walked out of the airlock. He was extremely grateful for the cold. It made the security officers sloppy, giving him more than ample opportunity to slip through their lines undetected. He could hear many of them cursing and swearing about Vasir and himself utterly destroying the first group of security guards. The thought merely made him smirk.

Stepping inside the compound behind a pair of guards cycling supplies in and out of the environmentally controlled portion of the base, he found himself looking for a way past the security systems. He had barely started doing that when a voice whispered in his ear.

"_Tsk, tsk; still sloppy with the camouflage, Ethan. I told you that you needed to work on that._"

His brow furrowed, and he turned around, seeing no one standing there. But he recognized the voice…

"Kasumi?"

"_Of course! Who else would be sneaking around a corporate hive of secrets and experimental toys?_"

A memory flashed in his mind's eye.

* * *

_Ethan grinned as the connection was finally established. The face on the other end of the line was laced with confusion, though much of it was hidden beneath a dark hood._

"_How did you get this contact information?"_

_he cleared his throat as he replied, "I'm contacting you both on my behalf, and on behalf of the Shadow Broker. You and your partner, Keiji Okuda, are currently undertaking a mission to acquire secret Alliance intelligence, correct?"_

_She regarded him skeptically, but nodded. "Yes? Why?"_

_Ethan's face took on a serious look. "You need to stop. First and foremost, the information is valuable enough that a number of crime lords have already begun looking for you."_

"_But we don't even have the information yet!"_

_He nodded. "Yes, I know. But they don't. Not only will they be waiting for you to leave that facility, they are fully prepared to kill you for that information, if necessary. This cannot be allowed to happen. Whatever you are being paid to extract that information, the Shadow Broker is willing to pay triple."_

_Kasumi narrowed her eyes, as she whispered. "Our contract was for thirty five million credits. You're telling me the Broker is willing to pay triple that?"_

_Ethan smirked. "I can wire you the money as we speak."_

_The Japanese woman still seemed unconvinced. "Why would the Shadow Broker care about two thieves like us?"_

"_Because you're the best at what you do. The Shadow Broker knows how to spot talent when he sees it. Walk away from this job, and you'll find yourself under the grateful employ of the most powerful man in the galaxy."_

_He could tell she was considering it. She spoke with someone off screen for a moment, before letting out a quiet sigh. _

"_Deal."_

* * *

He shook his head, bringing him back to the present, before whispering, "What are you doing here?"

"_Well, Keiji and I were trying to enjoy a quick vacation here, steal a few things, when all hell breaks loose. What about you?_"

Ethan smirked, whispering back, "Not much; just chasing the trail of a rogue Spectre, trying to meet up with humanity's first Spectre, and stop the end of all sentient life in the galaxy. Oh, and I'm about to take out over half this spaceport with a third Spectre, a Krogan warlord, and a Quarian tech savant."

"_Yeesh, Ethan. You _really_ need to get laid._"

He shook his head, "Whatever. Just try to stay out of the way once the bullets start flying. Now if you don't mind, my cloak isn't indefinite, and I have some enemies to flank."

"_You mind if I stick around and get some footage? It's always fun to catch this stuff on camera._"

With a sigh, he relented. "Fine. Just promise me I won't be seeing it plastered all over the news anytime soon."

"_Spoilsport._"

Without replying, Ethan moved from a crouch, heading up into the structure proper. Glancing up, he saw the scanners just as they deactivated, seemingly of their own accord. He smirked, knowing Kasumi had likely done it for him. Moving into the facility, he nearly laughed at the pathetic barricades the security forces had thrown up around the entryway. Wrex could have made it through them all by himself. Adding Vasir and himself into the mix just made it unfair.

It didn't take him long to find the office of administrator Anoleis. Moving in, he found the Salarian, sitting comfortably at his desk. Standing up straight, Ethan walked in, his cloak deactivating. It was almost funny, how wide Anoleis's eyes grew at the sight. With a wave of his Omni-tool, Ethan simultaneously locked the door, and deactivated every terminal and other device in the room that could possibly be used to call for help.

"H-h-how did you get in here?!"

Ethan was grateful for the helmet, hiding his smirk. "I walked through the front door."

The Salarian tried activating the terminal, then his Omni-tool. "Security? Guards! I need help!"

The Broker Agent slowly began walking towards Anoleis's desk, pulling out his knife and running the blade along his gauntlet. "Your security forces are standing in the way of a Spectre, a Krogan warlord, and an assassin, operating under the employ of both the Citadel Council and the Shadow Broker, on a mission to hunt down a rogue Spectre and his associates."

"Y-you have no authority here! W-we are an i-i-independent port!"

He shook his head slowly, examining his knife, before suddenly jamming the blade into the center of the director's terminal keyboard, causing the holographic device to sputter and spark, then die. The Salarian nearly fell out of his chair as he backed away from him, moving towards the corner of the room. "Wrong answer. Residing outside Council space may protect you from Spectres, but the Shadow Broker knows no boundaries. His power, his authority, are the secrets that people like you hide. You fumble in the dark, trying to claim your own slice of his power. In reality, he owns the shadows, and all who reside there are his thralls, powerless to do anything against him. Now, call off your security forces. Do so, and no one else will be harmed."

Anoleis, clearly trying to muster up some courage and bravado, asked in a shaky voice, "A-and if I d-don't?"

Ethan let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly as he yanked the knife out of the desk, again moving towards the Salarian. "Then you will be the next to die, along with everyone who stands in our way. Your security forces are merely an annoyance to be swatted away. As are you. Comply, and live. Resist, and die. The choice is yours."

He could tell that director Anoleis was seriously considering his choices, his eyes rapidly moving back and forth. The Salarian made a move that surprised him, however. In a flash, he reached down, and pulled a pistol out of a desk next to him, and tried taking aim at him. With a grunt, Ethan threw the knife underhanded, the blade spinning through the air, before impacting Anoleis between the eyes, immediately killing him.

Looking down at the body, Ethan couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Wrong choice, director."

Turning, he began walking towards the door, only to find Kasumi decloaking in front of him. There was a concerned look in her eye. "Ethan, was killing him like that the only way?"

Brow furrowed, he asked, "Of course. He pulled a gun on me. I gave him a choice. He made his decision."

She glanced down at the body, before looking back at him. She shook her head as she turned away, reactivating her cloak. "The Ethan I knew years ago, the one who saved my Keiji, would have given him mercy. He believed in being the better man."

Ethan stared at the door as it opened and closed, his hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Finally he shook his head, moving to leave the room.

* * *

Keying his Omni-tool, Ethan spoke up. "Peaceful solution is a no-go. Prep for clean sweep."

Wrex's voice could clearly be heard. "_It's about time. I've been waiting to murder something for a while now!_"

He smirked as he continued, "I'll set up to snipe. Vasir, Wrex, you two toss them, I'll take them out. Tali, you watch for any electronic defenses, overload weapons and shields where you can. Once you reach my position, I'll move in close, you provide cover fire. You copy?"

Vasir chuckled as she replied, "_Yeah, pretty boy, I copy. Just try not to get shot in the meantime._"

"_Got it._"

He sighted his first target, a Turian that appeared to be directing the security forces, ordering others around. He whispered into his comm. unit, "My first shot will be the signal. Once I fire, move out."

He breathed in and out a few times, before taking a deep breath, then letting it out. He paused, then gently squeezed the trigger, holding the gun steady. With a kick, the gun roared, taking the Turian's head clean off his shoulders. Tripping the release mechanism, he prepped for his next shot, as more gunfire came from the direction of the corvette. A moment later, a Human was pulled from his cover, floating though the air wreathed in a blue glow. He tracked the man, before pulling the trigger, the bullet impacting his head. He had to resist the urge to laugh at how much the bullet impact caused the body to pirouette through the air.

This pattern continued for a few minutes, with Wrex and Vasir using their biotics to throw the security guards out of their cover, while Ethan picked them off. Tali would occasionally overload a trooper's shields and weapons, leaving them helpless to their onslaught. Finally, when there was only a third of their numbers remaining, they broke from cover, and retreated all at once. The Humans took off running, while the Turians were more orderly in their retreating, their childhood military training shining through.

'Not that it'll do them much good,' Ethan thought to himself as he retracted the sniper rifle. Pulling out his knife and pistol, he moved into a crouch, looking down at the retreating security forces, until the last few were Turians. Dropping down in their midst, his cloak deactivated, making him seemingly appear out of thin air.

He swung his knife around, slicing into the neck of the first Turian, blood spurting out of the wound. Using his momentum, he brought up his leg, kicking away the weapons of two of the Turians. Jumping back, he dodged a set of talons aimed at his face, using his knife to stab the leg of one of the disarmed Turians. Maneuvering behind him, he used the injured Turian as a meat shield, firing his pistol in quick succession at the others still standing.

Before they could open fire on him, a singularity appeared in their midst, immediately pulling them off their feet. With a curse, Ethan realized he was within range of the singularity's pull, and pushed away from his meat shield, stabbing his knife into the ground and holding on for dear life. A moment later, a blue ball of biotics flew past him, impacting against the singularity. The subsequent explosion blew bits and pieces of Turian in all directions, the biotic wash passing over his shields, dropping them by half.

Glancing up and around, he smirked as he realized the Turians were all dead, leaving him alone on the walkway. He stood up, yanking his knife from the duracrete, and brushing himself off. He turned as he heard footsteps, only to see Vasir and Wrex walking around the corner, grins on their faces.

"Nice job, kid. Let's keep moving. There's more just waiting to be slaughtered inside."

He couldn't help but shake his head at Vasir as she strolled past him, clearly enjoying herself. Wrex patted his shoulder. "You doing ok, Pyjak?"

He nodded, priming his pistol. "Of course I am. a little biotic wash won't bother me."

The Krogan nodded in return, walking around him to follow Vasir. Ethan spun around, only to see Tali looking at all the various bodies and body parts. He stepped up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Tali, are you ok?" She didn't reply, but merely continued to stare at the corpses. He grabbed her other shoulder, and gave her a shake. Her eyes locked with his. "Tali, go back into the ship. I should have figured you weren't used to seeing things like this. Just stay with Viana, and make sure no one tries to slip past us and do anything to the ship, ok?"

The Quarian nodded listlessly, before turning back and moving to the ship, as though on autopilot. He shook his head, annoyed with himself for forgetting about Tali still being innocent enough to have never seen so much blood and gore. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he turned away, and moved back towards the spaceport.

* * *

As the last body slid down the wall next to the garage, Wrex let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, Ethan, I missed this kind of carnage. Only you were ever this much fun."

He would have replied, except Vasir suddenly brought up her Omni-tool. She smirked, before turning to face them. "It would seem Shepard finally decided to show up; Viana just detected the Normandy entering orbit."

With a raised brow, Ethan spoke, "That was fast."

"No kidding. Eh, who cares. Let's get moving. Think we can make it to peak 15 before them?"

Wrex laughed at the Spectre's question. "Not with the way that woman drives. It's enough to make a Krogan sick, and I know this from experience."

Vasir let out a low whistle as they moved into the garage. "Damn. That's impressive. She must be a pretty shitty driver."

Wrex nodded while Ethan fired up a Mako, revving the engine. "She is. That said, she's bad enough that it's actually good in a firefight. Don't ask me how, I'm not even sure a Salarian could figure it out."

Sticking his head out the hatch, Ethan called out, "Let's get moving, guys. One of you want to drive?"

Vasir smirked, "Sure. I'll take the stick. If you think you can handle it."

Ethan just smirked right back. "I don't know, there may be more here than you can handle." Wrex just let out a groan, causing both of them to laugh. "Come on, Wrex; you know that a little innuendo won't bother me."

As the Asari Spectre crawled into the Mako, she practically rubbed her body against his, causing him to freeze up. She whispered into his ear, "How about a _lot _of innuendo?" She laughed mercilessly as she moved past him, taking the wheel. He resisted the urge to shudder, trying to focus on the mission at hand.

As the Mako pulled out of the garage, Ethan sent a ping to the Geth, letting them know he was approaching. Thankfully, likely because of this, they encountered no resistance on their drive. Vasir was the first to make mention of it as they pulled up to the Peak 15 facility. "It's too quiet; I don't like this."

Ethan patted her shoulder as they rolled to a stop, standing up from his seat. "Relax. It's quiet because the Geth pulled back."

The Spectre turned and looked at him like he had grown a second head. "The Geth?! And how would you know that, exactly?"

He just smirked, replying, "The Shadow Broker and I had the idea to contact the Geth. I was sent out. Lets just say I made contact. Right now, the Geth working with Saren are actually duping him big time. As for why… well, that's a secret the Shadow Broker and I keep between us."

Vasir turned to Wrex, asking, "Is he serious? Or just full of shit?"

Wrex shook his head. "Hard as it is to believe, it's the truth."

She looked between the two men a few times, before putting her hands up in the air. "Alright, whatever. So don't shoot the Geth?"

Ethan nodded. "Pretty much. Unless they're shooting at you first. Then by all means, fire away."

The three of them quickly moved from the Mako into the facility, getting out of the freezing cold air. Ethan was rather annoyed that there was a crashed grizzly keeping them from just driving into the building, but he figured he should just be grateful the door was open at all. Stepping inside, he grimaced, seeing two Krogan out in the open. He quietly gestured to them, before pulling out his sniper rifle.

With a pull of his trigger, the first Krogan dropped, a hole through one eye and his skull. The second Krogan was pulled off his feet by a singularity, followed by a warp, blowing his body into pieces. Putting the rifle away, Ethan stepped out into the open. "Geth? Are you here?"

A hunter platform decloaked a few feet from him, lowering it's weapon. "_Barrow Agent._" It looked at Wrex and Vasir, before turning back to him. "_You are not travelling with Shepard Commander._"

He let out a sigh. "Yeah, bit of a long story. Look, I want to use your help in getting through this mission quickly. Can you do that?"

The Geth platform nodded. "_We will assist Barrow Agent in eliminating Rachni and Asari commandos._"

Wrex stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "Rachni?"

Ethan turned and faced him, "Yes, Wrex, the Rachni. Remember that whole 'stuff I can't really talk about yet' thing? Yeah, that's one of those things."

The Krogan glared at him for a few moments, before visibly calming himself, nodding. "Alright, Ethan. I trust you."

With a relieved smile, Ethan extended his hand, Wrex taking the hand. With a shake, he spoke, "You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that."

"Yeah… if you two are done with the whole male bonding thing, can we get moving? It's still too fucking cold in here."

* * *

With the help of the Geth, the three of them were able to move through the facility rapidly, entering the tram that would take them to the research complex further into the mountain. The three of them stood in the middle of the tram car, surrounded by a dozen regular Geth platforms, three hunters, and a prime, hunched over to fit inside the car. As the car moved, Vasir spoke in a low voice. "This is just creepy."

Wrex snorted. "What, you mean having a bunch of sentient machines staring at you? No, I couldn't possibly see how that would be weird in the slightest…"

One of the hunters spoke up. "_We will look away from you, if it would be more satisfactory._"

Ethan smiled, "Don't worry about it, Geth. We'll be there soon, anyways, and it won't matter."

"_Very well._"

The Asari Spectre gave him a curious look. "How is it you're not bothered being around the Geth like this? Do they not creep you out or anything?"

He shrugged, turning to regard her. "Not really, no. Sure, they may be different than you or I, but they still have as much right to live as any of us. Besides, in a lot of ways, they're a lot easier to understand than other people."

Wrex, staring at one of the Geth, suddenly turned to look at Ethan. "Say, won't Tali get a bit upset at you working with the Geth? You know, with them being her mortal enemy and all?"

The man's eyes grew wide at the question. "Shit. I hadn't even thought about that…"

Vasir let out a snort of amusement. "Oh great, I can just see how _that_ conversation will play out." Her voice took on a sing-song quality. " 'How was your day, sweety?' 'Just great, I made friends with a Geth.' '*gasp* Geth lover!' Then she pulls out a gun and blasts your head off."

Ethan just let out a groan as the Asari began cackling madly, clutching her sides as she laughed, bent over at the waist. "Glad to know you find this all so amusing."

The Spectre finally managed to stand up straight, an honest grin on her face as she wiped away a tear. "Oh, kid, this is the most amusement I've had outside killing things in well over a hundred years. Please, keep up the good work."

He rolled his eyes as the tram finally came to a stop, the door opening with a soft chime. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

As they stepped out the door, Wrex chimed in, "Look on the bright side; if Tali breaks up with you for working with the Geth, you won't have to break up with Shepard."

Vasir spun around, her eyes wide. "You mean you were going to start chasing the Quarian's tail without having the decency to break up with your first woman?!"

Ethan closed his eyes, rapidly getting annoyed. "Look, Shepard and I aren't really together right now. We were twelve years ago on Mindoir, before the Batarians fucked everything up." Glancing at a door, he turned away from the gaping Asari and towards the Geth. "Can you open that door?"

The Geth nodded, "_One moment. Accessing…_"

As the door opened, Ethan gripped his pistol. "Just focus on Benezia. Geth, have the commandos outside this room been dealt with already?"

"_Affirmative. Matriarch Benezia is the only conscious Asari affected by indoctrination in the area. All others have been successfully been neutralized in a non-lethal manner._"

"Good. Make sure they're all restrained and prepped for transport to a Shadow Broker facility. Vasir, you and Wrex distract her. I'll move in cloaked." He activated the camouflage system as he stepped into the dark room, disappearing. Vasir and Wrex stepped in after him, coming to a stop a few feet into the room, while he continued further in, doing his best not to attract the matriarch's attention.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life…"

Ethan tuned her voice out, stealthily moving around the walkways until he was about ten feet behind the woman. When she lashed out, freezing Vasir and Wrex in a stasis hold, Ethan jumped, activating his Omni-tool with an overload attack. She spun, her biotics glowing, but too slowly, as his fist collided with her cheek, the electrical current coursing through her body. The matriarch screamed as she dropped to the ground, convulsing.

As she eventually stopped, Ethan heard Wrex and Vasir come running up the stairs. He yelled out to the Spectre, "Do you have a biotic inhibitor on you?"

The Asari looked at him strangely, but nodded, tossing him a small device from a pouch in her armor. "Yeah, I usually carry one in case I have to apprehend a target."

He nodded, and quickly put the device around Benezia's head. As soon as he had done so, he spun her over onto her front, and tied her hands up behind her back. He then pulled her to her into a sitting position. Turning, he saw a Geth hunter standing there. "Geth, are the other indoctrinated Asari prepped for transport?"

The Geth hunter bobbed it's head. "_Affirmative._"

"Good. Take Benezia here with the rest of them, and make sure they all have biotic inhibitors to keep them subdued. Try not to harm any of them, if you can help it."

The Geth nodded again, but turned at the sound of a door. He followed the machine's gaze, only for his gut to drop at the sight; there, walking into the room, was Commander Shepard, flanked by the entire ground team, including Tali, sans Wrex, who was still at his side. The Commander was staring at him, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. Tali's stance clearly showed her anger. Liara was clearly worried about her mother, but trying to hide it. Garrus, Kaidan, and Ashley merely stood by, watching with wide eyes.

With a sigh, Ethan turned from the Geth, who bent down and picked up Benezia, before disappearing with a flash, Liara letting out a strangled cry. "Hello Commander."

Shepard's gaze jumped between him, Wrex, and Vasir. "Ethan? What's going on? Are you working with Saren and the Geth?"

He couldn't help but smirk at the question. "Yes and no. No, I'm not working with Saren. Yes, I'm working with the Geth. And actually, the Geth aren't really working with Saren. They're playing him, using him and the Reaper that Saren serves." Seeing her confusion, he explained further. "That big dreadnaught Saren's flying around in? That's not a Reaper ship; it's an actual Reaper. While the Geth were supposed to be working with the Reaper willingly, I got to the Geth first, years ago. I warned them about what their true intent was. So the Geth have been working with the Shadow Broker and I in secret, trying to unlock as many of the Reaper's secrets as we can before they come back."

Shepard was clearly confused, as she asked, "How? How could you know all of this? What a Reaper is, how to contact the Geth, any of this?"

Tired of standing on the platform looking down at them, he began walking down the stairs, to move closer to the Commander. "Why, Marie? Well, as much as I'd like to continue playing the game of lying and ignorance, I'm at an impasse. Do I tell you the truth, and blow a secret I've kept for thirteen years? Or do I stay silent. Luckily for you, I've reached a point where I no longer care. So you want the truth? Fine; you'll get the truth. I'm from another dimension, Shepard. One where you don't exist; not you, not the Council, not the Systems Alliance, the Reapers, the Citadel, any of it." He smirked, "Well, not as anything other than a videogame, anyways. One I was quite good at."

Garrus interjected, scoffing, "That's impossible!"

Ethan rounded his gaze on the Turian. "Is it? Cerberus managed to open some kind of dimensional rift, and they pulled me in. whatever gadget they had that allowed them to do it malfunctioned when I shot it, and it shot me back into the past, landing me on Mindoir, before the Batarian attack on the colony. I knew enough secrets to gain employ with the Shadow Broker, even warranting special training by the best specialists in the galaxy. Assassins, hackers, snipers, I've been trained by them all, in some of the most grueling training a man can survive. There's no other way I could have done that in twelve short years without having some kind of knowledge the Shadow Broker wanted."

Shepard narrowed her eyes, her lips in a thin line, whispering, "Prove it."

He looked at her, before nodding. "Ashley, your father stood in your room when you reached the rank of Gunnery Chief, and saluted you with a tear in his eye. Kaidan, you and Rahna had a thing for each other, until you killed off Vyrnnus. After that, she couldn't ever look you in the eye the same way. Garrus, you had a tough life with your father, never giving you the respect you felt you deserved. Liara, when you were a child, your mother scolded you for digging up some grass and dirt looking for artifacts, but she bought you your first book on archaeology the next day. Tali, you've never really felt close to your father, but relied on your aunt as your mother figure since your mother died.

"And you, Commander…" His tone softened, eyes dropping to the floor. "I knew about Elysium, before it happened; I knew about it, and Akuze… and I knew about Mindoir."

He could hear her sharp intake of breath at that revelation. "Y-you knew? You knew the Batarians would come?"

He nodded, still refusing to look at her. "I knew they were coming when I found out who you were. I don't know if it was fate, or what it was, but the first house I came across was yours. I figured I could try to help you escape from the Batarians when they'd show up." He let out a single, humorless laugh. "I just hadn't factored in falling in love."

"But you didn't try to stop it? To keep them from taking all those people? My sister?"

At this, his eyes rose, glaring at Shepard. "Stop them? How? I was a twenty year old college student, with barely any real firearms experience. Exactly how was I supposed to stop them? Trying to warn anyone would have landed me in a loony bin, or right back into the clutches of Cerberus." He looked away again, shaking his head. "You want to know what the real kicker is? Your parents wouldn't let me save them. I tried, damn it all I tried. But they refused. I told them everything, including the Reapers. But they insisted I leave it all alone. Your father did make me promise to take care of you, though. And I have, all these years, as best as I could. On Elysium, on Akuze, and all the missions in between. I watched, and made sure you were safe."

Shepard's face was a collage of warring emotions, no single name for any of them. "So you just left me to think you were dead for twelve years…"

He nodded. "Yes, I did."

"You did all of that, and became an assassin for a criminal."

At this, Ethan scoffed. "Criminal, sure. Is that what the politicians are labeling the Shadow Broker now? Those people that are put into office committing more crimes than even I could possibly hope to ever commit in my entire life? Those people who use people as slaves without having the balls to call them such? People who cater to the scum of the galaxy, like the Batarians? Who spit on those who least deserve it, like the Quarians? No Shepard, the Shadow Broker is not a criminal. He's one of the few decent men this galaxy has to offer. He's not in it for the money, or the power. He does what he does to keep the galaxy in balance, to maintain order and peace and stability, where politicians seek fame, power, and money, and are willing to throw anyone and everyone into the meat grinder to get it."

Commander Shepard looked at him with wide eyes, as though she were looking at someone completely different. "Who are you?"

This threw him for a loop. He did a double take, asking, "Excuse me?"

"You're not Ethan; you can't be. Ethan was never this cynical, this twisted. The Ethan I knew would never brutally murder over fifty private security police, for any reason."

Raising an eyebrow, he stated, "I told you I changed, Marie. I've become who I had to, to help stop the Reapers."

She closed her eyes, her head tilting downward. After a few moments, she spoke, softly. "I wish I hadn't fallen in love with you, Ethan."

He felt as though he had been physically punched in the gut. "W-wha…?"

She looked up at him, her eyes devoid of any emotion. "I wish I had never met you."

With those words, she turned and walked out of the room, followed by the rest of the squad. Tali stopped at the door, looking at him, before she too left, shaking her head. As the door slid closed, Ethan fell to his knees, blindly staring at the door, feeling nothing but a dull, cold emptiness; a void, where he knew his heart should be.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Not much to say, other than I get boatloads of inspiration when I have homework I should be working on. Anyone else suffer from that disease?

Just an FYI: this chapter is where the story gets a slew of OCs in it. There's a reason for it, however.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 12

It was some time later when Ethan became aware of his surroundings again. He vaguely remembered releasing the Rachni queen. He hadn't even really known why he had done it, but he did. He remembered telling Wrex to go with Shepard, but couldn't recall what the Krogan had said in reply. He remembered being led past numerous bodies, and past a number of Geth; at least, he thought he did. He wasn't entirely sure. Now, he found himself staring at the ceiling of Vasir's ship, within the crew quarters.

He gingerly sat up, rubbing his head. He realized that he was alone in the room, and decided to move into the mess hall. His balance was a little off as he stood, stumbling slightly, bit he quickly righted himself, and walked out. He saw Vasir sitting at the table, eating something that looked like seafood. She regarded him for a moment, before turning back to her food.

"You look like shit, kid."

Ethan merely nodded, moving to grab food for himself. He felt as though his mind were still in a haze. Vasir stared at him while he ate.

"So, apparently you were more in love with Shepard than you thought, huh?" When he didn't reply, she continued, "Look, Barrow, you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself. Or, you can get off your sorry ass and try to get her back."

Finally, Ethan looked up from his plate, a single eyebrow raised. "Get her back?"

Vasir smirked. "Yeah. You know, Commander Shepard? I was there, you know. I saw the effect she had on you."

"What do you mean, get her back?"

The Spectre laughed, "So I give you a glimmer of hope, and that's all you're focused on, now, is it? Fine. So you know the future as it's theoretically supposed to happen, hm? Then try giving her some hints. Send her messages giving her a heads up of things she should look out for, or choices she can make. Show her you still care."

Ethan thought on it, rolling the idea around in his head. He could feel a seed of hope blossoming in his chest, irrational and stupid, but growing nonetheless. "...Maybe that could work. Are we near a comm. buoy?"

Vasir nodded, and pointed her thumb at the stairs. "The message terminal is on the left of the galaxy map. We should still be in range for another fifteen minutes..."

The Asari petered off as Ethan shot up out of his seat, practically running for the message terminal. He took the stairs almost three at a time, nearly slipping, but managed to get to the terminal in record time. He stared at it for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. Finally, he simply started typing.

_Marie,_

_I know you have every reason to hate me right now. I know I've made mistakes, and I've hurt you. I never meant for that to happen. Even knowing all the things I know, I'm not perfect; I've fucked up more things than I've ever gotten right. _

_Regardless of all that... I wanted to say thank you, for making me realize how important you really are to me. For so many years, I watched from a distance, my promise to your father ringing through my ears. I forgot about what really mattered; you. I should have been there for you, and I wasn't. I'm sorry for that, Marie. I hope that you can forgive me someday for it. Even if you never do, I want you to know that my heart still belongs to you, and it always will. No matter what. _

_To try to help you in your mission, I thought I'd give you a few hints to nudge you in the right direction. _

_When you get to Feros, remember these things:_

_- Beware the heart of the colony. _

_- Jeong is a lying, weaselly thunder-cunt. _

_- When stuck behind a wall, the right pressure can "unstick" things. _

_- The creeper's spit is acidic. _

_- The nodes are the plant's weakness. Aim for those. _

_I know it doesn't make much sense right now, but it will later on. Even if you don't love me or want anything to do with me ever again, please; please trust me. _

_Ethan. _

He let out a sigh as he hit the send button. He found himself leaning on the terminal, his arms and legs shaking. He swore, as he came to realize how much he had nearly fucked up in his dalliance with Tali. He jumped as a hand pressed into his shoulder. Looking up, he found doctor Viana standing there.

"Are you alright, Ethan?"

He shook his head, looking back down. "Not really. I've messed things up with the woman I love. Before you ask, no, it never was Tali. I don't... I don't even know what the hell that was."

The doctor patted his shoulder. "That was likely a side effect of all the adrenaline and other chemicals in your body messing with your head. The side effects of the Shadow Broker's experimental medi-gel might have also had something to do with it."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What side effects?"

Viana seemed to get a little nervous, looking away from him. "W-well, actually, we haven't been able to fully document all of the side effects yet..."

Ethan stood up straighter. "Doctor, what are the known side effects?"

The Asari's shoulders slumped as she answered him. "The ones we know of are a chance of hallucinations, a decrease of inhibitions, and an increased sense of aggressiveness. As for how it interacts with large amounts of adrenaline... we have no data. In short, I have no idea what it may have done to you with the adrenaline and high blood sugar levels in your system."

Ethan found his temper rising as he listened. "You're telling me I damn near broke up with the woman of my dreams, for a teenage Quarian, all because you slapped some experimental shit into my body?!"

Viana's face was so flush it was nearly purple. "When you p-put it like that-"

He was nearly in her face, yelling, "How else should I put it, doctor? I had some kind of chemicals blasting through my body, messing with my head in ways that may very well have ruined my entire life!"

He would have yelled more, and quite possibly have struck out at the doctor, but Ethan found himself pressed against the wall, held in place by a biotic field, frozen stiff. His eyes followed Vasir as she moved from the stairs to stand in front of him. "Ethan, I think you need to relax. Yes, the doctor fucked up. Yes, this is a problem. But it's not the end of the galaxy just yet. Got it?"

Ethan rolled his eyes, as he was unable to move otherwise. The Spectre smirked, as she released him, allowing him to drop to his feet. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before turning to face Viana. "I'm sorry, doctor. I shouldn't be taking my frustrations out on you."

She nodded, her eyes downward. "I must apologize as well. I did not stop to consider any potential side effects. I merely saw that you were injured, and thought that the experimental medi-gel would accelerate the healing process. It was a mistake I should not have made."

"I accept your apology." After a moment, Ethan turned towards Vasir. "So, where are we headed in the meantime?"

"To rendezvous with another of the Shadow Broker's ships. Apparently he wants you kitted out in your usual gear, instead of this extra stuff I had lying around." Glancing at the time on her Omni-tool, she nodded, turning back to him. "Actually, we should be meeting anytime now. It'll be where we part ways, Barrow."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Really? Why?"

Tela Vasir smirked. "As much fun as this has been, I've been given another mission by the Council. I don't have time to help you solve your romance problems. Viana here will be going with you. It'll be another corvette like this one, but you should like it better. I believe it was actually your personal corvette to begin with."

Ethan's jaw dropped. "I had a corvette?"

Laughing, the Spectre patted his shoulder. "Of course; the Shadow Broker pays well enough for that sort of thing. If you're high enough up the food chain, that is. Doctor Viana will be accompanying you, as well." She turned to move towards the cockpit, before glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, and I think you'll like the crew."

* * *

True to her word, the other corvette arrived less than fifteen minutes later, the vessel pulling up next to them, and extending a small mass effect corridor to seal the atmosphere between the two ships' airlocks. His helmet in place, just in case, Ethan was finally able to get a good look at the design of both of the corvettes. Each one was shaped similar to the Normandy, with the angled wings, and the shaped bodies. Both ships, however, were much smaller, shorter, and narrower, each lacking a hangar bay, because of their decreased size. They also both only had two thruster units on the wings, instead of four.

Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to the opposite airlock, only to see a woman in armor standing there, waving at him to cross. He couldn't tell whether she was Human or Asari behind her helmet. With a mental shrug, he jumped across, floating across the void between ships. Nearing the other side, the woman reached out and caught his hand, pulling him down to the deck. The woman repeated the process with doctor Viana, who crossed with much less grace than Ethan.

Scarcely had they done so than the mass effect corridor was broken, Vasir's ship speeding off into the blackness of space. The airlock closed behind them a moment later, pressurizing the room. With a beep, the hissing stopped, and the opposite door opened, allowing them entry into the ship. He tentatively moved into the interior, only to have the woman from before brush past him, walking into the CIC section of the ship. He followed her, only to find himself face to face with a decent size group of people, all watching him. He could see three young Krogan, their crests not even fully formed, two young Turians, five Asari, and two humans, one being the woman who had pulled him into the airlock, more easily identifiable as she pulled off her helmet.

Looking at them all, Ethan realized none of them were more than fifteen to twenty years old. He took off his own helmet, eyes wide as he began having a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that every single one of them was familiar…

* * *

_Wrex glanced over at Ethan, the Human's posture tense. "Hey Pyjak, you sure you're doing ok?"_

_Ethan glared at the Krogan. "We're about to hit a Batarian ship. We know this group has been specifically targeting children. What do you think?"_

_Unphased, he replied, "I think you need to get laid. Then I think you need to kill a few Batarians to get this pent up energy out of your system. You're making me tired, just watching you pace. For a Krogan, that's saying something."_

_The Broker Agent just rolled his eyes as he slipped on his helmet. "Whatever. Just make sure you cover me. I'm not stopping or slowing down until all these fuckers are dead. You get me?"_

_Sounding much more solemn than usual, Wrex replied, "I get you, kid."_

_Neither of them said anything more until their shuttle managed to dock against the hull of the Batarian ship. Their ship, a heavily modified Kowloon freighter, had been installed with a sensor scrambler, which had allowed them to approach undetected. It had even masked the shuttle from the Batarian ship._

_Hacking into the airlock, Ethan quickly took point, his gun at the ready, just as the hatch turned green. Slamming his fist into the panel, the door slid open, and he practically jumped through the door, his gun pointed down the hall. He saw a single Batarian walking towards the cockpit, stopped midstride. All four of his eyes were wide with surprise and fear. Before he could even begin to turn, Ethan opened fire, perforating his unarmored body with bullets. _

_Without a second thought, he quickly moved over the corpse, and opened fire on every single Batarian that came into view. By the time Ethan reached the second half of the ship, he figured the majority of the crew was dead, with likely only a few stragglers left hiding somewhere. He checked every corner, every hole, every room he could find, gunning down every Batarian he could find. A few tried fighting back, but most died cowards, trying to run. Once in a while, he would find the body of a dead child, only turning his anger and hatred into a bloodthirsty rage._

_Reaching the back of the ship, he opened the door and stepped inside, only to find a single Batarian, using an Asari teenager as a meat shield, holding a pistol to her head. All around, he could see cages with children inside of them, whimpering and crying. The sight before him made his blood boil, and his gun snapped up to the head of the Batarian, waiting for the worthless animal to slip up. The Asari in his hands was clearly upset, but managing to hide her fear, keeping perfectly still. _

_As Ethan looked down his scope, he saw the Asari give him a subtle nod, before leaning her head just to the left, giving him a better shot. With a smirk, Ethan realized the girl was no fool, and he pulled the trigger. The bullet passed a scant millimeter from the Asari's head, and impacted the Batarian through one of his lower eyes, dropping him immediately. The girl dropped to the floor, clutching herself as the tears began to fall, her bravado finally failing her._

_Dropping his gun, Ethan ran to her side, and put his arms around her, merely comforting her. "Shhh… you're ok, now. They'll never hurt you again. I promise, you're safe. I won't let them hurt you again."_

_He rocked the girl as she cried, ignoring most everything else. He didn't even hear Wrex break the locks of the other children's cages. The first sign he had was when he felt arms wrap around him, and looked down to see a young Krogan child, likely only eleven or twelve years old, looking up at him, eyes wide. Ethan looked around, only to see the rest of the children around him, seeking comfort. He smiled, his own eyes brimming with tears, as he gestured for them all to come to him. He did his best to hold them all, trying to soothe their fears and worries. _

_As the memory slipped away, another one took its place…_

* * *

_Ethan shook his head as one of the children fell into the mud, the Turian having slipped off the ropewalk section of the training course. "Come on, Sagran, you have to keep your balance on the ropes. Without a good sense of balance, you could end up dead, or worse, a prisoner. So get up, and try again."_

_The young Turian male blanched at the mention of being prisoner, but nodded, clambering up and running back to the beginning of the course. Ethan turned at the sound of a huff. He smirked as he saw Wrex standing there, watching him. "Why didn't you just send these kids home, Ethan?"_

_His smirk vanished as he looked at the kids running the course. "Wrex, they didn't have a home left to go to. All of them lost their parents, and their immediate families. Was I just supposed to send them somewhere they'd get stuck with some stuffy aunt or uncle, or shipped off to a boarding school, or crammed into an orphanage to waste away and die?" He shook his head, his eyes losing their focus. "They didn't have a home anymore, Wrex. Just like me. Drifting, lost, with no one left to count on. No one there to stand up for them, to protect them." He shook his head again, rounding on Wrex. "I wasn't going to abandon them to that."_

_The Krogan raised a single eye ridge. "So training them to be soldiers and warriors is better?"_

_Ethan nodded, "Yes, it is. It gives them strength, it gives them power. It helps shape them into men and women, ready, able, and willing to defend themselves and others; never to be at the mercy of someone else ever again." He let out a sigh as he looked over his shoulder, seeing them training, speaking in a quiet voice. "You've seen it just as much as I have, Wrex. The Reapers are coming. Would you have me leave them like so much cattle to be slaughtered? Or train them to be like Varren, able to fight to survive, no matter the challenge?"_

_Hearing another chuckle, he turned, only to see Wrex smiling. "Just making sure you were doing this for the right reason. Make sure you don't forget I still need a partner out there; it gets lonely killing things by myself."_

_Ethan laughed, slugging the Krogan in the shoulder. "Don't worry, Wrex. Before long, these kids will be ready to kick as much ass as we do."_

* * *

Ethan felt his eyes watering up as he smiled, eyes running over the entire group. Each one of them was clad in a Shadow Broker's uniform, some with various markings denoting ranks. He could also see that a few of them had new scars, likely from fighting in missions. His heart soared as he realized that not one of the entire group was missing, meaning that none of them had died while he had been gone.

He tried to wipe the grin from his face, but was only partially successful, barking out, "Unit, at attention!"

All twelve of them immediately snapped upright, eyes straight ahead. He slowly walked in front of all of them, looking over their uniforms and their postures. Not a single one had a single flaw with any of their uniforms, or their stances. He nodded, satisfied.

"Who has been commanding this rag-tag band of rabble during my absence?"

One of the Asari stepped forward. Edeya, he remembered. "I have, sir."

He stepped in front of her, making sure that he locked eyes with her. He gave her a single nod. "Everything appears in order. Good work." He managed to hold his serious face for only a few more moments, before a grin broke out on his face. "At ease."

Each one of them relaxed, breaking into grins of their own. He didn't say anything else, but merely held out a hand, and shook Edeya's hand. She grinned back at him, before flinging her arms around him, catching him by surprise. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, each taking the time to hug him, personally greeting him. At first, they all tried bombarding him with questions, but he was quickly overwhelmed, unable to answer anything at first. Finally, Edeya managed to get everyone to fall quiet. She turned to him, and asked, "Where have you been the past year?"

Taking a deep breath, he looked at all of the kids, before replying, "I'm not entirely sure, actually. I'm still struggling to remember a few things. I know at some point I ended up inside a Cerberus facility-"

One of the Krogan, a male named Drax, if he remembered clearly, smirked, muttering, "Called it."

Shooting Drax a glare, causing the Krogan to shrink back slightly, he continued, "But I managed to escape with the help of an AI, of all things. I spent a short bit of time with Commander Shepard aboard the Normandy, ran from Cerberus, and most recently was affected by an experimental drug that messed with my head, and may have likely caused me to fuck things up between the Commander and myself." He thought, before snapping his fingers. "Oh, I also mowed down the entire security force of the corporate headquarters on Noveria with Wrex and a different Spectre."

One of the other Asari, Satalya, asked with a curious expression, "Where is uncle Wrex?"

Ethan smiled, mostly at the title 'uncle' being used to refer to Wrex. "He's with Commander Shepard right now." Shaking his head, Ethan asked a question of his own. "What have you all been up to while I've been gone?" Hearing them all start to speak at once, he held up his hands, silencing them. "How about we take this down to the mess hall, and you can take turns telling me about it, ok?"

* * *

"…And when that Batarian came running out of the door, I clotheslined him; he hadn't even stopped falling when I brought my foot down on his head. It squished apart like a melon!" The male Krogan, Galec, laughed hysterically at that, enjoying his part in a raid that had taken place on a Batarian stronghold. Ethan couldn't help but laugh with him, a few of the others laughing as well.

He had spent the better part of the morning just listening to the stories the kids had told him; many of missions, of their successes and failures, which were impressively few and far between. As much as they seemed to enjoy having him back, their focus eventually devolved into clusters of conversation, leaving him to watch them all, smiling to himself. A tap on his shoulder caught his attention. Turning, he saw doctor Viana standing there. "Yes, doctor?"

She glanced at all the youth, before looking back at him. "Who are all these children? Where did they come from?"

Glancing at the group, Ethan gestured for the doctor to follow him. He moved back up the circular staircase, leading her up into the CIC. When they reached the galaxy map, he turned back to her. "Those kids are a group of children I rescued from a Batarian slaver ship, about seven years ago. They were malnourished, and a few of them had been abused. Not one of them had surviving parents or family; they were the only survivors of the raids that they were each captured in."

Viana raised a brow ridge. "So you… what, took them all in yourself?"

Ethan smiled, nodding. "Something like that. I know what it's like to be the only one left, having no family to support you or to rely on. So I took them to a remote world, and I trained them, along with Wrex and a few others, provided by the Shadow Broker. He wasn't really sure what to make of it, but he didn't stop me. I still went on missions, and I still took out the targets I needed to, like I was supposed to. Every once in a while, I'd take one or two of those kids with me, show them the ropes a bit. To date, I haven't lost any of them, for any reason."

The doctor crossed her arms, still looking somewhat skeptical. "Where exactly do they fit in the ranks of the Broker's personal army?"

At this, Ethan visibly hesitated, looking away. "Well… they don't actually fit anywhere in particular… they aren't technically a part of the Broker's forces."

Viana was surprised by this, and was quick to ask about it. "What do you mean?"

Fidgeting, Ethan began to slowly walk around. "You see, they more answer to me, than to the Shadow Broker. They made that decision as a group. I tried changing their minds, but they wouldn't have any of it." He couldn't help but smirk as he added, "They're stubborn like that. You could say that they took that from me, somehow."

"So you taught them how to fight?"

He nodded, "Yes, I did. With help from Wrex, of course. We used training courses, live fire exercises, and mock battles between each other. Though I wasn't there for every single part of their training, I was able to be there for most of it. Their final exam was having all of them dropped onto a garden world, with only the Omni-tools on their wrists, and the clothes on their backs. They had to take out one of the Shadow Broker's squads, and steal their transport."

Viana seemed intrigued by this point, leaning forward. "Well? How did they do?"

Ethan smiled widely, his pride evident. "They took out every single Agent the Broker had on that planet, captured their base, and stole their ship. They even managed to sabotage the tracking software, and made it all the way to the relay. I'm still not sure where they figured that part out; I never actually taught any of them how to fly a space ship. Grizzlies and Makos, sure. But not space ships. That was… about three years ago, now."

"They did all that in four years? How old are they now?"

He stopped, pausing long enough to work out the mental math. "I believe the youngest would be sixteen by now, where the oldest should be about to turn twenty one."

The doctor seemed absolutely shocked, her mouth gaping for a solid minute. "B-but they're too young for that kind of thing!"

Ethan gave Viana a hard stare. "Really? They had all seen their families butchered at the hands of the Batarians. A number of them had been abused by them. They were all malnourished, and a few were even starving. Tell me, if they weren't ready to fight and die to defend themselves and the people they cared about from that kind of fate by that point, do you really think they ever would have been?" Silence was the doctor's response. He let out a sigh, before patting her shoulder. "Look, I've made sure they aren't defenseless, and they can take care of themselves. Hell, they seem to have done a fantastic job without me the past year. They'll be fine."

After a moment, Viana nodded. "Ok. I'll defer to your judgment on the matter. If you don't mind, I'm going to go to the med-bay, see what you have in stock to work with."

"Go ahead."

As the doctor left, Ethan slowly walked around the CIC of the corvette. He remembered designing the ship with the Shadow Broker years before, coming up with a more cost effective version of the Normandy. Something able to be utilized by the Broker's Agents when needed. It wasn't really a ship designed for space battles, but more for diversionary tactics, guerilla warfare, and infiltration missions. He smiled as he remembered some of the swearing the engineers had thrown his way when he would alter some part of the design, in order to streamline efficiency or improve some aspect of the design.

He knew the ship had a single miniaturized mass accelerator cannon for the main weapon, with two GARDIAN arrays tuned into the ultraviolet spectrum, courtesy of the Geth. The real bite of the corvette was the battery of EMP missiles in the underbelly, which would allow the corvette to take out the shields of a ship sized up to a cruiser, singlehandedly. There were other missiles the corvette could be fitted with, which made the corvette more of an oversized bomber than anything.

In any case, Ethan was proud of his work, his help in designing the ship. Having the ship to command and call his own was something he had dreamed of for years, while working for the Shadow Broker.

"Ethan?"

He turned, drawn from his musings, only to see Edeya standing there, the young Asari looking hesitant. "Yes?"

She stepped closer to him, before hugging him. "It's good to have you back."

He hugged her back, smiling as he rested his head onto hers. "It's good to be back. The stress I've been going through lately has been hell. But finding you kids makes me feel like I've got a reason to smile again."

As she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "We tried doing the best we could out here. While you were gone, I mean. The Shadow Broker was happy to help us out, especially in looking for you. Everyone just sort of looked to me to lead, and I wasn't sure what all I was doing, but I tried to do my best-"

Ethan put a hand on her shoulder, stopping the young girl's ranting, smiling the whole time. "Edeya, you did great. The ship looks as good as the day I left, and you all look healthy and happy. No one died, no one looks to be seriously injured. You did just great."

The Asari beamed at him. "Thank you. It means a lot hearing you say that."

He waved her off, giving her one of his jokester looks. "Nah, don't worry about it."

She nodded, and moved to go back down below decks, but stopped. She turned to face him, and asked, "Are we going to go help Commander Shepard?"

With a raised eyebrow, he replied, "Why would you ask that?"

Edeya became a bit sheepish, looking away from him. "When you went missing, the others told me I should, uh, look through your things for any clues, and I, um, found a few pictures of you and Commander Shepard, and I could see how much you cared for her by those pictures, and, well, I figured maybe we could help her out with her mission?"

Ethan looked towards the floor, thinking. After a moment, he shrugged. "I'll think about it. The Commander and I… aren't exactly on the best of terms right now."

Edeya nodded. "Ok. If it's any consolation, we, I mean all of us, just want to make sure you're happy. You've done so much to help us, we just want to help you."

He smirked, replying, "I said I'd think about it. Now get moving."

The Asari smiled as she gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir."

Ethan just shook his head as the girl half ran back down the stairs. He walked up towards the cockpit, and looked out the window, staring at the stars. With a sigh, he spoke aloud to himself. "Maybe she's right, Marie; maybe they're all right. Maybe we should come help you out."

* * *

A/N: If you want to know more about the children rescued by Ethan and Wrex, check my profile page. All their names, races, ages, and descriptions are there.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: To answer a question from the reviews, a 19 or 20 year old Asari or Krogan would be considered a child in the social sense. They still mature and become adult-sized by that point biologically. It wouldn't make sense for them to be small, weak, tiny, and vulnerable for fifty years, now would it?

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 13

Ethan watched out the window of the cockpit as the small corvette flew between the towers of Feros, the ancient structures still somehow standing tall after so many eons of neglect. He shook his head as he looked down at Cassyra, the Asari girl piloting the craft with ease. "I can't believe I let you all talk me into this."

The girl shrugged, an innocent look on her face as she navigated. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. Anyways, you're sure the Normandy won't be able to detect us?"

Cassyra nodded, not looking away from her controls. "Correct; the Shadow Broker had the ship installed with a cold fusion reactor to give the ship some stealth capabilities. Unless they're looking for us, they won't see us."

Ethan looked at the girl, surprised. "When did the Shadow Broker get cold fusion technology?"

The Asari girl smirked. "When he stole it from Cerberus."

He turned around, shaking his head and laughing, and walked back into the CIC. He was still smiling when he saw Sagran and Sarah standing there, armed and armored. Drax was off to one side, the Krogan nearly sulking. "Are you sure you don't need me to come down and help?"

Ethan nodded, patting the Krogan on the shoulder. "Sorry, big guy. This is a stealth run for us. If everything goes to plan, we'll be in and out before anyone is the wiser. If things go wrong, however, I want you and Galec prepped to come in loud and hard. Got it?"

At this, he seemed to perk up, grinning. "You got it."

Edeya stepped over from the galaxy map. "What should the rest of us be doing in the meantime? Fighting off the Geth?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, they aren't the target here. They're still on our side, more or less. I want you to keep the ship out of sight for now. I don't want the Normandy to even know we're here."

Edeya nodded, "Yes sir." She turned, but paused, stepping up to him, smiling. "It's good to have you back."

He patted her shoulder. "It's good to be back." He turned back towards the front, and walked towards the airlock, Sagran and Sarah in tow. Stepping up to the airlock, he asked Cassyra, "What are the sensors picking up?"

The Asari took a moment to bring up that particular console. "There's a lot of interference from a jamming signal, but I've picked up the Normandy docked near the colony- wait, the jamming signal just disappeared."

Ethan frowned. "That means they just took out the Geth drop ship, which means they'll be heading back soon. We'll have to move fast without being seen." Turning back to the two kids behind him, he asked, "How's your speed infiltration skills?"

Sagran, ever the vigilant Turian, spoke with confidence. "I can move as quickly as you need me to, and not make a single sound."

Sarah's reply was much more brief. "Excellent, sir."

He nodded, satisfied. "Good. Keep in mind, these colonists are under the control of an ancient plant that uses spores to override their higher brain functions. Keep your masks and helmets on at all times. If we can avoid it, don't harm any of the colonists. If you have to knock one or two of them out, fine, but avoid killing them at all costs."

Turning around, Ethan pulled his recon hood over his head, attaching it to the base of the collar of his armor. The rest of his armor had been custom tailored from variants of the N7 class armors, giving him better than average shield strength, melee abilities, and power regeneration. As the recon hood connected with the suit, the eyepieces powered on, momentarily giving the view a reddish tint, before the optics compensated and cleared the view.

He could feel the extra weight of the heavy weapon he had decided to bring along for this mission. While not strictly necessary, he had a feeling it would come in handy, especially if they made it to the Thorian before Shepard's squad. A few moments later, the corvette began to slow, and the airlock door slid open. "Approaching drop point."

The three of them stepped in, and waited for the airlock to cycle. They didn't have to wait long. The door slid open, revealing the floor level of the hangar the Normandy was berthed in. Looking up, Ethan could see a number of the colonists pounding on the hull of the frigate. He shook his head as he activated his tactical cloak, his two companions doing the same. They jogged across the floor, moving to where the docking bay ended. Glancing up, Ethan smirked as he realized the wall had enough cracks and breaks in it to climb.

Reaching up, he began scaling the wall, making sure to test his weight on each crack before pulling himself up. He could hear Sarah and Sagran grunting with exertion beneath him. He activated his comm. unit, linking to their suits' helmets.

"Cut the grunting noises. This mission will go FUBAR faster than a vacation into a Thresher Maw's nest if the colonists hear us."

"_Sorry._"

He smirked, but added, "Don't apologize. Just do it."

This time, two green acknowledgement lights winked on in his HUD. Satisfied, he continued climbing, slowly pulling himself up onto the walkway. He turned and helped the other two up, before pulling out his tempest submachine gun, quickly walking into the colony proper. Moving into the open structure, containing the half-disassembled freighter, an idea came to him. He opened his comm. unit again, this time changing the frequency.

"This is Agent Barrow to any Geth in the immediate vicinity. Anyone there?"

A moment later, the telltale synthetic voice came through. "_Barrow Agent, we are here. What do you require?_"

"I'm by the entrance to the Thorian's chamber. If you have a hunter platform or two to spare, it would be greatly appreciated."

"_Affirmative. Three hunter platforms en route to your position. ETA thirty seconds._"

Sagran's voice came through the audio channel, the Turian muttering, "_That fast?_"

Sarah beat him to the chase in chastising him. "_Shut up, Sagran!_"

"Copy that, Geth. Send two hunters to my position. Have the third utilize the crane to lift the section of the freighter off the entrance, then move that platform to guard the entrance, and subdue any colonists that attempt to enter. Non-lethal takedowns, whenever possible."

"_Affirmative._"

True to the Geth's word, not even a minute later, two Geth signatures appeared in his recon hood's scanners, taking up positions on either side of his squad. A few moments after that, a loud whirring noise echoed through the room, as the segment of freight was lifted off the lower ramp. A loud wailing noise could be heard, but Ethan paid it no mind, and immediately moved down the stairway, moving into the chamber holding the Thorian.

Moving into the dark, damp, musty antechamber, he deactivated his cloak, doing his best not to gag at the sight of the overgrown weed in front of him. He was immensely grateful for the rebreather built into his recon hood. Not waiting for the Thorian to spawn its Asari clone to drone on about the plant's superiority, he reached around to his back, and pulled out his personal favorite toy; the M-451 Firestorm, more commonly known as the flamethrower. He smirked as the Thorian seemed to squeal, somehow recognizing the weapon for what it was.

Activating the pilot light at the nose of the device, he pointed it at the plant.

"Sucks to be you, you overgrown weed."

Depressing the trigger, a cone of fiery doom spewed forth from the nozzle, engulfing the Thorian in flames burning in excess of 1,600 degrees Celsius, the organic matter of the plant turning to ash within seconds. As the Thorian burned, he could hear the squad behind him opening fire on the Thorian's creepers, all trying to stop him from killing the Thorian.

Within seconds, however, the gesture became a futile one; most of the Thorian's biomass had been reduced to ash, the rest liquefying and disintegrating away into nothing. The remaining Thorian creepers fell to the ground, turning into puddles of organic goo. Satisfied, Ethan rested the flamethrower on his shoulder, spinning in place and walking out of the chamber. He could hear Sagran and Sarah both chuckling quietly, but he was too satisfied with himself to care at that moment.

Moving into the stairway to the colony section of the building, Ethan could see the Geth hunter standing there, a few scuffs and dings on it's chassis, with about half a dozen unconscious colonists at its feet. Ensuring none had any serious injuries, he patted the hunter's shoulder. "Good work."

"_Thank you, Barrow Agent._"

He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when he realized he could faintly hear voices on the opposite side of the room. He harshly whispered to the group, "Cloak and scatter, now!"

Within moments, all six of them cloaked, and moved away from the entrance to the Thorian's chamber. It didn't take long for Commander Shepard's squad to round the corner, the woman leading Garrus and Tali. They were all checking the colonists as they walked, seemingly surprised to find them all unconscious. Ethan could see that Shepard was perplexed, her brow furrowed.

He smirked as he saw an Asari stumble out of the lower chamber, still clearly disoriented. He recognized the Asari as Shiala. Ethan watched as Shepard helped her sit down, and started talking with her. He felt a pang in his chest, being so close to Marie, but stayed back. After a few moments, he keyed him comm. unit. "Squad, fall back to the hangar bay. It's time to exfil. Geth, you can either send these platforms with us, or send them elsewhere."

"_We will send these platforms with you. They will likely be useful to you in your missions._"

"Copy that."

As the squad began to move, Ethan saw Tali's head shoot around, her visor seemingly focusing on him. Looking closer, he realized she must have had some kind of stealth scanning program running while looking for Geth. The Quarian let out a yell, pulling out her gun, catching the attention of both Garrus and Shepard. Ethan swore.

"Run for the hangar! Do not engage, I repeat, do not engage! Cassyra, we need exfil now!"

Without waiting for their reply, Ethan sprinted, slowing only to make sure Sagran and Sarah were in front of him, letting the Geth take the rear. He could hear a few gunshots, causing him to duck his head reflexively. Not waiting to climb down, Ethan jumped from the platform to the hangar floor, rolling as soon as he hit the surface.

As they ran, he couldn't help but smile as he saw the corvette already in position, the airlock standing wide open. He slowed, letting the Geth get in front of him, to move into the airlock. Coming to a stop just on the edge of the hangar bay, he dropped his cloak, and took off his recon hood, turning to look back. He could see Shepard and her squad standing there, watching him. Even from the rather long distance between them, he could see the shock on the Commander's face. He couldn't help but feel a bit wistful, seeing her up there. With a sigh, he turned and walked into the airlock, the hatch closing and sealing behind him.

Standing there, he realized something felt off. Checking his weapons, he let out a loud curse. "I dropped my damn flamethrower!"

A few minutes later, Edeya was standing next to him at the airlock, giving him a questioning look. "Are you sure you want to go back?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." Seeing the look the Asari was giving him, he held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm not going back just for my flamethrower. The fighter down there has an AI that saved my life. I'm not going to abandon her on the Normandy."

"Uh huh."

"Plus there's all my personal gear stowed aboard the Normandy. One of the expensive knives from the Shadow Broker himself is sitting in there."

"Uh huh."

"Will you stop saying that?!"

Edeya smirked at him. "You just want your flamethrower back."

Ethan glared at the girl, before looking away from her, guiltily. "Yeah, ok. You got me. I really want my flamethrower back."

She shook her head, her smirk disappearing into a look of concern. "What happens if they take off while you're still onboard?"

He waved her off. "Relax, Edeya, I'll be in and out before they even warm the engines up."

He made to turn around, but the Asari stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. "But if you're not?"

He let out a quiet sigh, before looking the girl in the eye. "Then you follow me. I'll have the AI, Alice, mask my signal from them so you can track it. But if they start actively looking for you, then you bug out, got it? I can escape just fine on my own if I have to."

Edeya locked eyes with him, searching for something. Finally, she nodded, "Ok. We'll do it your way."

"Thank you. Now relax; I'll be back before you know it." He gave the girl a smile and a pat on the shoulder, before slipping his recon hood back on over his head, and stepped into the airlock. He waited for it to cycle, mulling over his options. He hoped the flamethrower had merely slid behind a rock somewhere, so he could just pick it up and be on his way, without having to board the Normandy.

As the airlock slid open, he glanced over the edge, grimacing as he saw the side of the Prothean skyscraper, descending hundreds, maybe even thousands of feet downward. Glancing over the gap, he could see the crumbling walls, opening up into the main part of the colony. Shaking his head, he took a step back, then made a running leap. As he soared through the air, he couldn't help but wonder if this was possibly a bad idea.

* * *

As the airlock closed, Edeya heard someone clear their throat. Turning, she saw almost the entire group standing there, looking at her. Belask took a step forward, away from the group. The female Krogan glanced back at the others, before looking at her. "Are we actually going to follow his orders, should he get trapped on the Normandy?"

Edeya smirked, shaking her head. "Hell no. I've already got a plan that just might work…"

* * *

Scrambling over the edge of the hole in the wall, Ethan let out a grunt as he fell to the ground, rolling on impact. Glancing around, he noticed a few colonists look up at the pieces of duracrete falling, but none of them had seemed to notice him. He was grateful that his cloak had held up long enough for him to make the entrance without being spotted. He waited behind cover until his cloak was powered up to be reactivated.

Once he was again invisible, he crouch walked along the walls, doing his best to remain inconspicuous. He saw Shepard talking with some of the colonists, but thankfully didn't see anyone else from the squad, like Tali. He shook his head. Even though he could still picture Tali's face, he no longer felt any emotion attached to it, a sign that it had truly been the experimental medi-gel that had messed with his mind.

He followed the path leading down to the hangar, checking every corner and possible location the flamethrower might have fallen off at, but came up empty handed. Nearing the Normandy, he looked up, just in time to see Kaidan walking towards the airlock, the flamethrower in hand. With a curse, he moved as fast as he could while still remaining stealthy to catch up to the man. As it was, he barely made it into the airlock in time, before the hatch slid closed behind him.

He nearly held his breath, for fear of Kaidan discovering him in there with him. Thankfully, the marine was oblivious, his attention focused on the weapon in his hands. The decontamination process was quick, and strangely, didn't set off any alarms with him inside. Not one to question good luck, he followed Kaidan into the ship, moving a relatively short distance behind the man. He stopped a few times, showing off the flamethrower to a few of the other crewmembers, who were clearly impressed by the weapon.

Ethan had to roll his eyes at the way many of the marines would ogle the flamethrower, but then reminded himself that he hadn't been any better when he had first gotten the thing. As the door to the lower level opened for Kaidan, he had to move closer than he would have liked to make it through the door before it closed. He came to an abrupt halt when Kaidan turned around, glancing in his direction, as though he had heard something. He didn't move, he didn't breathe. Finally, Kaidan seemed to shrug it off, and continued walking down the stairs.

Ethan followed closely behind, and waited against the wall next to the elevator door, while Kaidan waited for the car to come from below. As soon as the door slid open, he slid into the side, while the marine stepped into the middle, pressing the down button. All the while, Ethan continued to scan the area, making sure Tali wasn't anywhere within visual range, watching him. He cursed the infernally long elevator ride, wishing the Shadow Broker could have done something to the elevator speed when they added the fighter launch rail.

Finally, the door opened again, treating Ethan to the sight of a single armed guard, standing by the door to Ethan's quarters, the panel glowing red. Kaidan stepped forward, and the guard inserted a key, allowing the door to slide open. He stepped in, set the flamethrower down, and immediately walked right back out, the door closing and sealing behind him. Ethan cursed at his luck, stepping out of the elevator before it closed again.

As Kaidan left, Ethan began considering his options. First off, he needed to deal with the guard, but without alerting anyone else, and without killing the man. That eliminated most of his options. Thinking quickly, he realized the man was without a helmet, meaning he could stun the guard with a single hit, then follow up with an angled strike to the base of his neck to knock him out.

Before he could do so, he heard the ship's VI. "_Logged; Commander Shepard is on deck, XO Pressley stands relieved._"

Shaking his head, Ethan struck out, hitting the guard in the face, stunning him long enough for him to follow up with the knockout strike. He caught the man's body before he could impact against the metal grating, which would have alerted everyone in the lower part of the hangar. Gingerly, he took the key from the guard, and opened the door to his quarters, gently laying the unconscious man onto the cot, the door closing behind him. He felt the ship shift slightly, and realized they were taking off. He swore, but continued with his task.

Looking around, he realized that all of his gear had been locked away into the storage containers, with new locks installed. Shaking his head, he activated his Omni-tool, and quickly hacked the containers. Looking at the things he had, he quickly prioritized what to keep and what to leave behind. He took the Omni-tool from the Shadow Broker, as well as his eezo-laced combat knife. He left the armor, as it was a set stolen from Cerberus to begin with.

Glancing at the terminal, he accessed it, and quickly began downloading the logs, erasing them as soon as they were copied over to his Omni-tool. It was a long, slow process, leaving him there tapping his foot in annoyance. After what felt like an eternity, the console beeped, signifying the transfer was complete. Satisfied, he shut down the terminal, and moved to pick up the flamethrower.

His hand had barely wrapped around the chassis of the gun, when the door slid open. He froze, looking at the entryway, only for his heart to sink. Standing there, was Commander Shepard, arms folded. The woman was still in her signature N7 armor. She had a sad smile on her face. "Hello, Ethan. I had a feeling you'd come back for that stupid thing."

He stood slowly, reattaching the flamethrower to his armor, grateful for the recon hood to hide the emotions on his face, in his eyes. "How did you figure?"

She shook her head, "You always did have an obsession with fire." She must have sensed the tension in his form, as she took a step back. "You don't have to stand in there, Ethan. I'm not trying to trap you."

He nodded, and stepped out of the room, onto the catwalk, folding his arms. "Now what?"

A corner of her lips quirked upwards, "I was about to ask you the same thing."

He wasn't sure what he would have said after that, but his Omni-tool started beeping. He glanced down at it, but didn't respond.

Shepard noticed, and looked down at the device. "Getting an incoming call?"

"Yeah. probably from my, ah, crew."

The Commander raised an eyebrow at him. "Your crew? The Shadow Broker gave you your own crew?"

He shrugged, leaning his forearms against the railing of the catwalk. "Not… exactly."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped, when he heard the fighter next to them beginning to activate. His eyes widened, a mere second before all the lights powered off, red emergency lighting activating. Joker's voice sounded over the intercom. "_Commander, I just lost all control! Navigation, weapons, engines, it's all down!_"

He heard her start to reply, but his eyes were glued onto the hangar door, which had begun to open. His jaw dropped as he realized he could see his corvette, moving into position in front of the hangar, the nose section shallow enough for it to park the airlock flush with the force field holding in the atmosphere in the hangar. The corvette had scarcely stopped moving, than the airlock shot open, and eight of the kids from his ship jumped out, half of them taking up defensive positions, while the other half moved further in.

* * *

Edeya gripped her avenger rifle tightly, her helmet secured tight. Cassyra's voice sounded out through the speakers. "_Moving into position in three, two, one…_"

As soon as the airlock opened, she jumped out, leading the group out. She spoke through the comm. system, "Michael, Belask, Alanya, and Drax, you four guard the airlock. Esanya, Satalya, and Irikia, you're with me."

A slew of lights turned green in her HUD, indicating they all acknowledged her orders. They walked through the hangar bay, checking their corners. A Turian in blue armor tried firing on them, but Edeya's barriers and shields combined were stronger than his rifle. Esanya launched herself at him with a biotic charge, pinning the Turian on the ground, her gun pointed at his face. He quickly submitted. A large Krogan stepped out from behind a crate, but she lowered her gun at the sight of him.

She smiled behind her helmet, waving, "Hi uncle Wrex!"

The Krogan's face took on a look of confusion, before understanding dawned on him. "Edeya? What the hell are you kids doing here?!"

She pointed up at the catwalk above. "We're rescuing dad!"

Wrex's gaze followed where she was pointing, only for the old Krogan to shake his head, groaning.

* * *

Ethan heard the Commander gasp at the sight beneath them. He saw her reach for her guns, but he put a hand on her arm. "Don't bother. They're not here to hurt anyone."

She looked at him, sharply. "Who are they, and why are they here?"

He looked at her, glaring behind his visor. "They're the kids I rescued from Batarian slavers. I trained them, I taught them, and I took them under my wing. You don't like it, tough shit. They came here to rescue me. Not that I really needed rescuing, but there you go."

He walked around her, and stared walking down the length of the catwalk that sat parallel to the fighter. "Where are you going?"

He glanced over his shoulder, stopping long enough to call out, "I'm going with them. You already said you wished I wasn't in your life. Who am I to change your mind?" With that, he took off running, and jumped over the handrail, using it to fling himself towards the ground, rolling on impact. He came up skidding to a halt.

Looking up, he saw the kids looking at him, probably entertained by his dramatic drop from above. He walked towards them at a brisk pace, only slowing when he saw Wrex shaking his head at him. "You came back for that damnable flamethrower, didn't you?"

He smirked behind his helmet, walking close enough to smack the Krogan on the shoulder as he passed. "Fuck off, Wrex. It's my gun, and I'll be damned before I let someone else have it."

The large Krogan only laughed. Looking over towards the Mako, he saw one of his Asari straddling Garrus's waist, a gun pointed at his face. Judging by the markings on her armor, he identified her as Esanya.

"Esanya, get off of the Turian and let's go!"

She nodded, and stepped up, not moving her gun away from Garrus, the Turian's eyes on her the whole time. Moving closer to the ship, he saw Edeya snap him a salute. He saluted back, before throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Sorry for disobeying your order."

He just shook his head. "I had a feeling you were going to. I know I probably would have."

He clasped shoulders of the Asari, extended a handshake with Irikia, and affectionately rubbed his head with the crests of both Krogan. He knew it was more than he would usually do, but in front of the Commander, he didn't care so much. He was still hurting from her rejection, but this was his way of showing her he wasn't alone; that he had a family of his own that cared about him, regardless of whether she was a part of it.

* * *

Shepard managed to make it to the ground level as she saw Ethan walking off with his group of kids, as he called them. She watched him exchange gestures with all of them, pats on the shoulder, handshakes, and rubbing heads with the Krogan, of all things. She didn't know what the full dynamic was between them all and Ethan, but she could see that they all looked up to him. It was visible in their body language, the way they all watched him and turned to him.

She heard Wrex step up next to her, watching the scene unfold. "Those kids adore him. Even the Krogan kids, which is no easy feat, I might add."

She spoke out without looking away, asking, "How? What am I even looking at?"

"You are looking at the victims of Batarians. Each and every one of them. Ethan and I busted them out of a slaver's ship, each one locked in a cage. Each one saw their family brutally murdered by those animals. He took them in, he trained them, using the Broker's resources to give them all a fighting chance. To them, he is their family."

"Why would they come for him like this if he wasn't ever in danger?"

Wrex let out a huff. "Probably because I forwarded them the tape of what you said to him on Noveria." The Krogan heard her let out a gasp, but continued, "You made your opinion of him pretty clear down there. I figured you deserved to see that there's more to him than you accused him off; that he's no more a monster than you or I."

Commander Shepard looked away from Wrex, conflicted, as she turned her gaze back towards the other ship. Just as she did so, her eyes locked with Ethan's, the man standing there, his mask off. She watched as a tear slipped down his face, before turning away, the airlock sealing him away inside the other ship. As the smaller ship pulled away, she gasped as she saw the words written in big, bold letters on the side of the hull. There, written in white, was the one nickname that she hadn't heard since the last time she saw her father alive.

Little Red.

* * *

Ethan let out a sigh as the inner door opened, allowing him and the rest of the group crammed into the airlock out into the rest of the ship. He hadn't hardly exited the chamber, when Cassyra called out, "We've made contact with your AI, and she'll be leaving the hangar of the Normandy as soon as we're outside the launch path. She says she'll follow us to a station where we can dock and transfer her over to our ship."

He nodded. "Good. Make sure she releases the Normandy from her lockdown before she goes, though."

Cassyra just smirked, as she turned back to her controls. "I already did."

"Good." Ethan let out a sigh, before turning and walking down the hallway, rather slowly. "I'll be in my quarters."

No one said anything as he walked away, practically shuffling into the Captain's cabin. Stepping inside, Ethan realized he hadn't been in here yet since he had stepped aboard the corvette. He felt like just collapsing to the floor when his eyes fell onto a picture on the desk of Shepard and himself, on the Shepard farmstead on Mindoir. They had both been a lot younger then, and it showed in their carefree smiles. With a sigh, Ethan spun the picture around, turning it to face the wall. He stripped off his armor, and moved to the back of the tiny cabin, into the tiny shower stall.

Because of the small design of the ship, each of the shower stalls had their own individual tank of water, recycled over and over, with any impurities like dirt and the like getting filtered out, and ejected into space. Because of this, Ethan could just let the water pour over him, and not have to worry about using it all up.

* * *

No one said a word as Ethan walked away, the door to his cabin closing behind him. However, they all turned in surprise when Michael, the normally quiet one, spoke up. "We need to help fix this."

Galec, ever the Krogan, turned to the Human. "How exactly would we fix this?"

Irikia flexed her mandibles slightly, before quietly speaking, "We could try to contact Commander Shepard."

Edeya shook her head. "That would be too obvious. We need to get them in the same place at the same time without either of them knowing about it. Somewhere relaxing, where they can let their guard down before they find each other."

Belask cleared her throat. "We could contact Wrex. He could set something up."

Satalya piped up, "Like a dance club."

Alanya just scoffed. "You just want an excuse to go dancing."

They were all quiet for a moment, before smiles began to spread across all their faces, turning to look at Satalya. Her smile disappeared as she asked, rather nervously, "Uh… guys?"


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Ok, fluff chapter. Sorry if you don't like fluff that much, but it's long overdue for a straight-up fluff-fest. Plus, with any luck, now that I've hit this point, maybe I can go finish my schoolwork, instead of continuing to procrastinate it due to an unfinished conflict of plot that has been driving me absolutely insane.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 14

Satalya let out a groan as she again tried readjusting the deep blue dress the other Asari in the room had all but forced her into. She would be the first to admit she enjoyed clubbing, but she usually did so in pants and a shirt, not this short dress, showing off her legs, stomach and chest. "Are you sure about this?"

Alanya piped up, "Of course. Shepard shows up with her date, we have you dance with Ethan, they both get jealous. Before you know it, Ethan and Shepard are dancing together."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure. So what happens if Commander Shepard doesn't show up?"

Edeya patted her shoulder. "Relax, she will. Wrex will make sure of that."

"Where are we going to, again?"

Cassyra smirked as she answered the question. "A new club called Flux. I've heard it's pretty interesting; for a club, anyways. It's got some slot machines for gambling inside, too."

Satalya let out a groan. "Of course you tell me something like that."

The group shared a laugh at her expense, continuing to doll her up with makeup.

* * *

Ethan pulled at the collar of his suit. "Michael, are you sure this is a good idea?"

The man nodded. "Sure. The suit looks fine on you, and I know Satalya has been dying for a chance to go clubbing for a while now. You've been pretty stressed lately, and we all think this will be good for you both."

He raised an eyebrow, regarding the younger man. "I can't help but get this feeling there's more to this than you're letting on."

Michael just shrugged, "Ethan, I'm a guy. I don't pretend to follow what all the women are talking about, most of the time."

Ethan smirked, extending his hand for a fist bump, which the younger man reciprocated. "True, that. I had five older sisters, growing up, and I _still_ don't really know what the hell women are talking about most of the time." Glancing at his clock, Ethan asked, "So, what time are we heading out to Flux?"

Michael checked his Omni-tool, before replying, "About a half an hour, why?"

Ethan shrugged. "Just wondering if I had enough time to take the coat off for a while, and relieve the pressure around my neck from this damnable suit."

Laughter was his only reply.

* * *

Marie Shepard fidgeted with her crimson dress, repeatedly smoothing down the nonexistent edges. She let out a sigh, before turning to Ashley. "Are you sure this looks good enough for tonight?"

The Chief just laughed. "You look great, Commander. You just need to relax."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, relax. I'm going to a dance club with a subordinate. Nevermind the fact that this has 'court marshal' written all over it…"

"Shepard, you're a Spectre now. You can get away with stuff like this. Besides, you're going as friends, not fuck-buddies."

The Commander had to resist the urge to gag. "Ash, that was terrible."

She laughed as she patted the woman's shoulder. "Yep. Now turn around so I can get your makeup."

Shepard let out a groan. "Ash, I'm Commander Shepard. I don't _do_ makeup!"

"You do tonight. Now hold still."

* * *

Kaidan let out a sigh as he rubbed his neck beneath the collar of his suit. "Wrex, you're sure this will work?"

The gruff Krogan nodded. "Of course it will."

Joker interjected, "Even if it doesn't, you've seen how miserable the Commander's been the last couple of days. Anything is worth a shot by this point."

Alenko nodded absently, idly readjusting his sleeves. "Yeah…"

Joker poked him, getting his attention. "Dude, we all know you like her. But face it, she's no good to anyone, including you, if her mind is a million light years away from her job to save the galaxy. Besides, did you _see_ those Asari girls he has on that ship of his? It's like he's riding high in the USS Sex Machine!"

Wrex smirked, moving his face closer to Joker to freak him out. "What, the female Krogan in the bunch didn't do it for you, whelp?"

Joker's eyes grew almost comically wide. "There was a female Krogan standing there?!"

Garrus joined in, smirking. "And a female Turian."

The pilot threw his hands into the air. "I give up. You know what, fine. Just to make you all happy. Ethan's in a ship full of women! And they all say he's miserable! A miserable Spectre and a miserable assassin combined do not bode well for the safety and wellbeing of the galaxy!"

Kaidan raised his hands in surrender. "I got it, Joker. Really. You've made your point. Besides, I wouldn't have bothered getting into this monkey suit if I wasn't already in on the plan."

Joker leaned back in his seat, glaring at the other men in the room. "You were all just fucking with me, weren't you?" Laughter was his only response. "Rat bastards."

* * *

Ethan couldn't resist smiling as Satalya continued to bounce in her seat, clearly excited. He was confused as to why she had dressed up so much, as he knew the girl despised dresses. But, he wasn't going to question her about it. He knew that there was likely some kind of reason behind it, but at the moment, he was more preoccupied with his encounter with Commander Shepard than anything. He thought back on it again for what had to be the umpteenth time that day. The way she had seemed less upset, and more weary around him on the ship.

Shaking his head, he focused more on the moment, enjoying the company of his kids. He could hear Sagran and Alanya bickering over something in the back seat of the aircar. He smirked, listening in. When he felt the aircar start to rock, he turned around, only to see Alanya smacking the male Turian across the head a few times.

He barked out, "Alright, children. Behave!"

They both straightened, looking chastised. "Yes, sir."

He kept his face stern for a few moments, before smirking. "At least wait until we're on the ground."

They both smiled, but didn't say anything. The rest of the trip passed in silence. Ethan continued to notice that Satalya seemed far more excited than usual. Finally, the aircar came to a stop across the way from Flux. They all stepped out, one at a time. Glancing back, he could see the rest of the kids piling out of their own aircars, some laughing quite loudly, others keeping mostly to themselves. All of them, however, would periodically glance over at him. Something he noticed rather quickly. He narrowed his eyes, already getting suspicious. He knew from experience that the only time they all looked at him like that was when they were planning something.

As they entered the club, the bouncer at the door raised an eyebrow at the odd looking group, but nodded at them, not trying to stop them. He could already hear the music pounding, the sound of it making him smile. He hoped that this time, he could make it through an evening in a club without running from someone trying to kill him. He didn't hold out much hope, but even a little was better than nothing.

Moving into the club, the owner, a Volus, immediately led the group to a set of tables already pulled together, just for them. It was near the dance floor, something he appreciated. As the group moved to place their stuff down, Ethan swore he saw a flash of red in the back of the club, but looking in that direction yielded nothing. With a shrug, he turned, only to find Satalya grabbing his arm, pulling him towards the dance floor.

"Come on, Ethan; I've been waiting to dance for a while now!"

He just laughed, shaking his head. "Well you don't have to wait on me to dance, you know!"

She gave him a pouty lip, the same one she used to do years before. "But you promised to be my date tonight."

With an overly dramatic sigh, he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I guess I did, didn't I? Well heaven forbid I let myself be a liar. Alright, lead the way."

She laughed, pulling him along towards the dance floor. He found himself smiling at the girl's infectious laughter, and her bubbling energy. Before he knew it, three or four songs had passed. Before the next one began, however, a few people came and ushered everyone off the dance floor except for himself and Satalya. She pushed him to one place, while taking up a spot on the opposite side of the floor. A moment later, most of the lights dropped, except for a few spotlights on the floor. He shot her a glare, to which the Asari merely grinned.

As the music began, he realized what he thought she had been planning; a tune, played specifically for the tango, began sounding out through the speakers. Standing upright, he began the dance, quickly crossing the floor towards Satalya. She moved towards him, and the two of them met in the middle of the dance floor. When they met, the dance began in earnest.

They moved with the tempo of the beat, feet and legs shifting and flying back and forth, in some instances faster than the eye could track. On occasion, he would spin her around, a flurry of 'ohs' and 'ahs' from the crowd surrounding the dance floor.

* * *

Shepard sat at the table, a quiet little corner of Flux reserved just for them, and laughed, jokes flying across the table. She was curious as to where Liara and Tali were, but didn't ask. They had spent much of the evening at the table, merely enjoying each other's company. Though a few of her squad members had liberally sampled the various types of liquor the club offered, she herself hadn't had more than one drink, which she was still nursing. Kaidan had offered to take her to dance once, but she declined. She could dance; none of her squad knew that, of course. However, she hadn't had much opportunity to dance since before the incident on Mindoir.

When the lights dimmed in the club, however, her attention was quickly drawn to the dance floor. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes grew wide, as she realized that it was none other than Ethan on the dance floor, along with an Asari she didn't recognize. Almost as soon as the music started, she felt her blood boil. Ethan started dancing the tango with this Asari. Looking at the girl's face, she figured the girl was one of the kids Ethan had been referring to; she seemed more interested in the dance than in Ethan.

Watching him dance, however, one of the dances that used to belong to the two of them with another woman, soon overrode that fact. The song wasn't a long one, thankfully. Spinning in her spot, she took a deep breath, before downing a half a glass of whiskey, much to the surprise of her companions. She quickly stood, and walked towards the dance floor. She waited behind a few people, until the song came to an end. There was some applause, but she saw the Asari whisper something to Ethan. He laughed, and nodded, turning in place, the two of them facing away from each other.

The Asari locked eyes with her, just as she began pushing her way between the people in front of her. The woman merely smirked, before stepping away, allowing Shepard to take her place.

* * *

When Satalya recommended another dance, he almost said he didn't really feel like it, but the look she gave him made him give in, nodding his ascent. He could tell she wanted to let out a squeal of happiness, but she resisted, instead whispering what dance she wanted to do. Shaking his head, he turned around, his back to her.

However, as he stood there, waiting for the music to start, he could hear footsteps, and realized that Satalya had switched places with someone. He let out a huff of irritation, and nearly turned around, but he realized all of the kids were watching him, eyes wide, clearly excited about something. With a sigh, he stayed put. When the music started, he turned in place, only to nearly fall off his feet. There, standing across from him, was none other than Marie Shepard. When his eyes locked with hers, everything else in the club ceased to exist. There was a fire, and intensity in her eye that he had only seen in battle. That thought both excited him and worried him.

Holding a hand out to her, he was surprised how readily she reciprocated, placing her hand within his. In a flash, they both began moving, syncing their motions to a dance they hadn't shared in over a decade. In the first few steps, Ethan could tell that she was about as rusty as he was, but they quickly found each other's rhythm, their footfalls impacting against the floor simultaneously.

When the tempo of the music began picking up, Ethan couldn't help but smirk, increasing his step to match. Shepard raised a single eyebrow as she did the same. An idea came to his mind, and the only warning the Commander received was a sudden twinkle in his eye. A moment later, she found herself being flung through the air, her feet soaring around as he used his body to pivot her around multiple times.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, the dance came to a close, and they both found themselves frozen, Ethan having dipped the woman down close to the ground, their eyes locked. He found his breath caught in his throat, despite how desperately he needed to breathe. The loud cheering and applause seemed to break the spell, as they broke apart, standing up and bowing to the crowd. As they stepped off of the dance floor, Ethan turned towards the Commander, an arm extended.

"Would you care to share a drink, Commander?"

The woman seemed to regard him in a different light, but she nodded, placing her hand on his arm. "Sure."

He glanced around, only to see the owner point at a table on the upper balcony, with a _reserved_ sign on it. With a raised eyebrow, he led Shepard up the stairs to the table.

* * *

Satalya was nearly beside herself as she sat down with the rest of the group. "That went even better than we could have hoped!"

Belask was quick to interject, voicing caution. "Don't jump the gun. The night is still young. Many things could happen between now and the end of the night."

Sagran shushed both women. "How about we just watch and make sure no one tries to interrupt them?"

* * *

Hardly had they sat down, than a bottle of fine wine was placed before them, along with two glasses. They shared a look, then glanced down at the bottle. After a moment, Ethan looked down at a set of tables, which Shepard followed with her gaze. Shepard had to resist laughing as she saw fourteen youth all smile up at Ethan and subtly wave at him. She looked over in the corner of the room where her squad was, only to see them doing exactly the same thing.

When their eyes met, they both found themselves laughing, amused purely at the craziness of the entire situation. With a shake of his head, Ethan pulled the top off the wine, and poured them both a glass. Raising his glass, he spoke, "A toast, to our mutinous, traitorous, lying families we call our crew."

Marie laughed again, and clicked her glass against his. "I'll toast to that." They shared a drink, and sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, the woman's smile disappeared, and she looked out over the crowd. "Tali told me about what happened after you ran from Cerberus on earth."

Ethan winced, setting his glass down. "Yeah. That wasn't my finest moment. On a related note, if a doctor ever offers to use 'experimental medi-gel' on you, absolutely refuse."

She turned her gaze back to him, questioning, "Why?"

His eyebrows shot up and down a few times. "Because you'll be the guinea pig to test what the side effects are. Odds are, they include psychological effects." He scowled as he looked away this time. "I damn near shot the doctor myself when she told me that. To hell with the fact she helped Tali and I escape without a body count." His scowl disappeared, and turned to a look of pain. "Between that, and what happened on Noveria, when I was riding the tail end of those drugs, I thought I'd pushed you away from me… for good."

Shepard reached across the table, placing her hand atop his. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you try to find me?"

He didn't look at her as he replied, still looking down at the table. "I figured you deserved to find happiness, without me getting in the way." He let out a single, dry laugh. "I guess I figured that with everything I've done, everything I've screwed up, I didn't deserve to be happy. I didn't want you to suffer because of that."

He felt her squeeze his hand, quite tightly. "I wish you would have given me that choice." He merely nodded. After a moment, she changed the topic. "Why did you turn to the Shadow Broker, of all people?"

With that, he smirked, and looked back up at her. "Have you ever heard of a Yagh?" She shook her head. "Imagine a Krogan, then make it twice as tall, three times as wide, five times stronger, and ten times uglier, with a learning curve similar to that of a Salarian. That's a Yagh. I knew that the old Shadow Broker had one for a pet, but I never knew at what point that Yagh would turn on him and kill him, taking over as the Broker. So I took a chance, and tried warning the Broker on the off chance I was early enough. I got lucky, and he ditched the Yagh before it could kill him."

He saw a half smile grace her features. "As interesting as that is, it doesn't answer why the Shadow Broker."

He glanced down at the table. "Well, like I said on Noveria, it was Cerberus that brought me to this galaxy. The thing is, I never really knew why. My ending up on Mindoir was either an accident, or fate. I had a small revolver on me, and shot the device inside their shuttle while they were leaving Earth; my Earth. There was a flash, and suddenly I was twelve or thirteen years in the past, alone in a field.

"I had no idea what to do, or who to turn to. Most people would look at me like a crazy man if I tried explaining things to them. I couldn't go to the Alliance, because they would have tried doing a background check on me, and would have thought me an undocumented, a tax dodge or a criminal. I sure as hell wasn't going to turn to the group that had kidnapped me in the first place. I figured I at least had a shot with the Shadow Broker."

Looking back up at her, he was surprised to see that she didn't seem all that upset anymore. "If I may ask, why did you stay at our farm? You could have gone somewhere else."

He smirked, "Yeah, I probably could have. Ironically, your farm really was the first one I stumbled across. When I first heard your father say his last name, I almost turned tail and ran right there." His smirk faded, and became a much softer smile, his eyes filled with warmth. "But then you stuck your head out from around the corner. I locked eyes with you, and I was caught; hook, line, and sinker."

Marie's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

He nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. At first, I lied to myself, working to convince myself that I was just sticking around so I could try to help you hide when the Batarians came around. That's why I dug out that hidey-hole in the barn. After a while, I figured I could try to get the Broker to save your family, but without your knowing." He let out a snort, rolling his eyes. "Your stubborn parents, however, both shot down that idea. Even after I told them everything. I'm not sure whether or not your father really believed me at first, but I could see it in your mother's eyes; somehow, she just knew I was telling the truth. Once she had it figured out, it didn't take long for your father to agree."

Ethan fell quiet, looking a bit pensive. Shepard gave his hand another squeeze. "And?"

He looked away from her, as though he were ashamed. "And then I did probably one of the biggest no-no's I could have done, as far as preserving the timeline went. I fell in love with you. Head over heels, slam dunk drunk in love with you." He let out a laugh that nearly came out a sob, putting his free hand over his mouth, pressing the back of his knuckles into his lips. "That night, when the Batarians came, I was about to throw the entire timeline all to hell. I was going to propose to you, Marie."

Looking back at her, he was confused when he realized she didn't seem surprised. She pulled her hand away, and reached for the chain around her neck, a soft smile on her face. "I already knew that, Ethan." As she pulled out her dog tags, Ethan gasped, as he realized that she must have found the ring after he had dropped it. There, lying against her dog tags, was the ring he had bought to propose to her, strung through the chain.

"Y-you kept it?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I kept it. I didn't know if you were still alive; but if you were, I wasn't going to let such a good ring go to waste."

Ethan couldn't help but laugh, a smile stretching wide across his face. He let the laugh out, knowing if he didn't, he'd start crying from such a huge release of stress from off his chest. He took her hand again, and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "You are an absolutely amazing woman, do you know that?"

She smiled at him, a sly look on her face. "I may have been told that a time or two."

His smile faded slightly, and he looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Marie. I shouldn't have stayed away from you as long as I did, no matter why I did it. I shouldn't have overridden my love for you just for a promise I made to your father, to watch over you. I shouldn't have watched over you for so long; I should have been by your side, kicking ass right alongside you."

Marie nodded, a look of understanding on her face. She glanced down at the tables where the kids were all doing a terrible job of pretending they weren't watching the two of them. "It would have been nice; but if you had, then who would have saved those kids down there? Who would have helped them, if not you?"

She looked back at him, to see him staring down at the fourteen kids, a smile across his face. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

She squeezed his hand. "Ethan, you could look back and second guess every decision you ever made. I know, I've done it a time or two myself. But you can't keep doing that; otherwise you'll waste your whole life with the what-ifs. You need to push the past into the past, and look towards the future, so you can make your own future."

Looking at him, she saw a look of fear cross his face momentarily, before he seemed to steel himself, trying to hide his emotions. "Do… do you want me to be a part of your future, Marie?" When she didn't answer at first, she could see the panic cross his face, as he began to backtrack. "I mean, I can understand if you still feel the same way as you did a few days ago, or if you've had second thoughts-"

She leaned across the table, and pressed a finger to his lips, smiling. "Ethan?"

"Hm?"

"You're overthinking things again."

With that, she pressed her lips to his, effectively silencing any second-guesses or questions he may have had. They both heard a high-pitched squeal from below, followed very shortly by a loud smacking noise. "OW!"

They both broke apart, laughing. Ethan glanced down, only to see Satalya rubbing her cheek and glaring at Belask, the Krogan woman smiling smugly. Still smiling, Ethan turned back to the woman across from him.

"So, who was your mock date for the night?"

Marie smiled widely. "Kaidan. What about you?"

"Satalya; the girl that I danced with, and the one that I'm fairly certain just got smacked for squealing."

They both shared a laugh, and Marie told him, "You're going to have to introduce me to all of them eventually. I'd love to get to know anyone who can stand being around you for long periods of time."

He rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks. Shouldn't you count yourself in that category?"

She gave him a mock frown. "Hm, I guess you're right. I wonder what's wrong with me?"

He smiled, "Probably the same thing that's wrong with me, for loving a woman who throws herself headfirst into gunfire and explosions."

* * *

Their friendly banter continued for another hour and a half, until the entire bottle of wine had been emptied between the two of them. Glancing at the time, Ethan looked up at Marie. "You know, I should give you a tour of my ship before it gets too late." He smirked as he added, "Just make sure to inform your entourage, so they don't tear the Citadel apart looking for you."

The Spectre glanced down where her squad mates were, only to snicker behind her hand. "That would be assuming they have enough of their mental facilities to even notice I'm gone. They all look totally wasted."

With a raised brow, he asked her, "How long did you give them for shore leave?"

She looked quite satisfied with herself as she replied, "Forty eight hours. I figured the crew could use the break."

He nodded, before standing up, and offering her his arm. "So, m'lady, would you care to inspect my ship?"

She laughed as she took his arm, standing up and slightly leaning against him. "Of course, dear sir. Lead on."

They made their way down the stairs, both smiling when they saw the group of kids, some dancing, others joking around with each other. Almost all of them waved at the two of them as they left, leaving Ethan and Shepard to make their way to the aircar rentals across the street. Thankfully, there was an aircar already there, so they didn't have to wait to pile into a car. Entering the destination, Ethan let out a sigh as he leaned back against the seat. He turned his head in surprise as Marie leaned across the seat, resting her head against his shoulder. He lowered his head against hers, taking in the feel and smell of her.

The ride passed in silence, the two of them leaning against each other, until finally the aircar made it to his ship. Half-stumbling out of the ship, Marie looked up at the name painted on the hull. She turned to him, a curious look on her face. "Why did you name your ship after my childhood nickname?"

Turning red with embarrassment, he replied, "Well, I wanted to name the ship after the most important thing in my life. Using your last name would have been a little obvious, and naming it after your first name could get confusing. I figured your nickname was the best choice."

She nodded, smiling. With that, he led her into the ship. As soon as the door opened, he led her through the ship, pointing out the few rooms the ship had. He showed her the CIC, then the med-bay. What he hadn't known was the tiny engineering room was accessible through the back of the med-bay, but the two of them didn't stay long, not wanting to bother the doctor. He took her down the stairs, and showed Marie the mess hall, the crew quarters, and the missile battery in the lower back portion of the ship. Finally, he led her back up the stairs, and to his quarters.

Stepping inside, he threw his arms out in a dramatic pose. "And this is my quarters, tiny little closet space that it is."

Marie laughed at his description, but moved inside to look around anyways. Seeing a picture frame laid down on the desk, she picked it up, only to gasp at the sight; it was a picture of herself with Ethan, in front of her home on Mindoir. The picture had been taken only a couple of months before the Batarians had raided the colony. She held the picture up, and looked at him. "You kept this picture?"

He nodded, getting visibly more somber. "It was the only picture I had with me of both of us, after I… after…"

She could see the distant look coming to his eyes, and quickly set down the picture, moving to him and taking his face in her hands. "Ethan, you don't have to think about that right now. I'm right here, ok? I'm right here."

Seeing she wasn't getting through to him, she pressed her lips to his, drawing him into a kiss. After a few moments, she felt his arms wrap around her, clinging to her as though for dear life. They both held the kiss as long as they could, before having to break for air. Gasping, Ethan pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes boring into hers. She could see the pain in his eyes, mixed with anger, hatred, and fear. She kissed him again, gently this time.

"I'm right here, Ethan. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

He nodded, taking in her scent, her taste, everything. Looking up into her eyes, he tried to communicate his feelings; his appreciation, his gratitude… his love. "Marie, please don't go. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to feel like I'm on my own."

She smiled as she stared back. "I'm not going anywhere, Ethan. Not now, not ever."

With that, she pressed her lips to his, pulling her body close to his. As one, they fell back onto the bed, together.

* * *

A/N: Achievement unlocked: Paramour.

'Nuff said.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I need a life. Or a girlfriend. Or both. I'd settle for the girlfriend, though.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 15

Ethan let out a contented sigh as he woke. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at a mane of red hair. His confusion cleared as memories of the previous night poured into his mind. He smiled, realizing that Marie was half draped across his chest, a blanket thrown haphazardly across the two of them. With a sigh, he wrapped his arm around the woman, pulling her closer. Unfortunately, the gesture woke her up.

As she raised her head, her eyes still clouded over from sleep, he smiled down at her, whispering, "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Her eyes shot up to his, seemingly confused until her memory cleared, and she smiled, relaxing against him. "Morning, yourself."

Glancing around the room, and seeing the time on the clock, he let out a sigh. "Well, we have two options; stay in here for a few more rounds, or go find something to eat." As if to punctuate the statement, his stomach chose that moment to let loose a rather loud growl.

Marie laughed, her face lighting up with her smile. "I think breakfast sounds wonderful right now."

With a sigh, the two of them untangled themselves from each other. Ethan couldn't help but sit there and watch as Shepard stood, stretching herself out. She quirked an eyebrow at him, still smiling. He shrugged, "Just admiring the view, and hoping to never go more than a day or two without getting a chance to see it." His smile faded slightly, "I've missed enough already. I'm not wasting any more time." He was quiet for a moment, before his grin turned mischievous. "Speaking of which, I think we still need to christen the desk and shower…"

Marie laughed as she threw his shirt at him, the clothing hitting his face.

* * *

As the two of them strolled out of the cabin, they were immediately accosted by Satalya. The Asari greeted them with a huge grin. "Come with me; I think you'll want to see this!"

Before they could even ask the girl what she was talking about, she began walking across the room to the med-bay. They followed, and Ethan made to ask her a question, but she shushed him before he could speak. Quietly, she slid open the door to the med-bay, and pointed. Ethan and Marie both stuck their heads into the door, looking in. Ethan's eyes grew wide in surprise; there, lying on the floor, was Garrus Vakarian, with Ashley Williams under his arm, the two of them spooning on the floor. They were both asleep.

Ethan put a hand over his mouth, doing his best not to laugh. Glancing over, he saw Marie was struggling with the same thing. With a wink, he pulled up his Omni-tool, and activated the camera. Biting his lip to keep from laughing, he snapped a picture. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to turn the flash off. Both Garrus and Ashley stirred, slowly rousing from their slumber. Ashley let out a moan. "Oh… my head…" She looked up at the door, seeing Shepard and Ethan standing there. "Why do my lips feel like I ran them over with sandpaper?"

Failing miserably at suppressing his grin, Ethan pointed behind her. "Maybe you should ask your cuddle buddy. He might know."

She turned her head around, just as Garrus seemed to come to. Neither of them said a word. Taking pity on the two, Ethan stepped back, closing the door. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know how that conversation was about to play out. Marie let out a breath, still smiling. "I never would have seen that coming."

Ethan winced, "Yeah… I might be to blame for that one."

Shepard was clearly intrigued. "How?"

"Well, I may have mentioned to Ashley that she could ask Garrus to spar sometime. I may have also forgot at the time that sparring can occasionally lead to… other things… with Turians. Especially in high stress situations."

The Commander was clearly enjoying his embarrassment, failing miserably to hide her laughter behind her hand. Satalya, taking pity on him, spoke. "Michael is downstairs making breakfast, if you are interested?"

They both nodded. "Absolutely."

Without preamble, the three of them made their way down the stairs, and into the small mess hall. Barely had they made it halfway down, when Ethan recognized the smell. "Is that… bacon?!"

Satalya laughed, "Yes, it is. We managed to get a crate of it on our last supply run, straight from Earth. It's the real stuff, not the substitute meat from across Citadel space."

Glancing around the table at the group situated there, he asked, "Who decided to buy the bacon?"

Edeya raised her hand, a smile on her face. "I did."

He stepped over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You, darling, are a beautiful woman. I don't care what Drax says."

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed, while Edeya blushed, clearly embarrassed by the praise. Shepard stood back, watching him interact with the kids. As she did, Satalya stepped up next to her. "He really loves you."

Marie turned to regard the Asari, still smiling. "I noticed that. You were the one he was dancing with last night?"

Satalya nodded, giving her a slight bow. "The very same."

"You're a very good dancer. Did he teach you?"

Smiling back, the Asari replied, "Thank you. Yes, Ethan did teach me how to dance the tango. However, your dancing was much better than mine." Snickering, the Asari added, "I think you both danced a bit more intensely with each other than you would have otherwise."

Shepard couldn't help but blush slightly, but continued smiling. "There's some truth to that." She took a deep breath, before asking, "Satalya, what was he like, when he was helping you all?"

The Asari leaned back against the wall, folding her arms in a rather Human gesture. "He was quite driven. Always pushed himself, and us, to be the best we could be. He rarely gave us breaks, and never took any for himself. He would always follow news about you. Once in a while, he'd disappear for a few days, and come back as though nothing had happened. Then we'd hear a report on the extranet about some big operation that you were involved in." She smirked, "It didn't take us long to figure out where he went."

She may have said more, but Ethan stepped over. "Hey, we going to eat now?"

Satalya and Marie both smiled and nodded, joining him at the table.

There was a bit of idle conversation that passed across the table while they ate, but Ethan didn't pay much mind to it. Most of his attention was focused on Marie, and her joking around with the kids around them. This continued, until about halfway through breakfast, when Ashley came down, a confused look on her face. She stopped next to the table. "Hey Ethan, there's some woman outside the ship, says she wants to talk to you?"

His brow furrowed, and he stood up. "Who is she?"

"Don't know. She wouldn't say her name. We've got the camera trained on her, though." Ashley held up her Omni-tool, showing an image of the woman in question. Ethan inhaled rather rapidly, before stomping off, walking up the stairs. Shepard was immediately behind him, following him. Everyone else looked at each other, before dropping their silverware and moving to follow as well.

As Marie came to the top of the stairs, she saw Ethan walk into his quarters, and almost immediately walk back out, a massive shotgun in hand. "Ethan, what's going on? Who is outside the ship?"

He didn't reply, merely stomping to the airlock, and stepping inside. Marie stepped in with him, just moments before the hatch sealed behind them. As the opposite hatch slid open, there, standing just beyond the door, was a woman in a skintight, white cat suit, arms folded, with a calm demeanor. She raised a single eyebrow at the sight of the gun pointed at her, but didn't appear phased in the least. "Agent Barrow; Commander Shepard, a surprise to find you here."

Ethan all but snarled, "Give me one reason I shouldn't blow you in half, Miranda Lawson!"

She turned her gaze toward him, still as calm as ever. "If I wanted to fight, I wouldn't have bothered knocking. I came to talk."

Though his grip lessened slightly on the gun, his tone was anything but cordial. "So talk."

The woman rolled her eyes as she uncrossed her arms, shifting her weight. "This isn't something I should talk about out in the open. You'll understand once I explain myself."

Eyes narrowing, Ethan considered his options. Finally, he lowered the gun. "Fine. But the only way I let you on my ship is if you agree to a biotic inhibitor. Otherwise, you can walk your cold blooded ass right back down that loading ramp."

This seemed to irritate the woman, but she acquiesced. "Agreed."

As they waited for the airlock to cycle again, Shepard turned to Ethan. "Why exactly the hostility towards Miranda, Ethan?"

He snorted, shooting a glare at the Cerberus operative, which she ignored. "This woman is the reason I was dropped into this galaxy in the first place. She personally led the teams in the 'retrieval' of specimens for experimentation, including myself." Looking down at the floor, he spoke more quietly. "She's the reason I was taken from my home, away from my family, and dropped into a galaxy facing complete and total annihilation."

Miranda smirked. "Yes, but imagine my surprise when I returned from your Earth, only to find your shuttle never made it, then to find you half dead a few weeks later, on a backwater planet with no name, appearing to have aged twelve years in a span of weeks."

Ethan's gaze snapped to the woman, but he stayed silent. As the hatch slid open, he smirked to see half a dozen of his kids with guns pointed in their direction. He spoke, "One of you, toss me a biotic inhibitor."

Drax nodded, pulling the device from one of the pouches in his armor, tossing it to him. Ethan immediately turned and fitted the device on the woman's head. He knew it was uncomfortable to wear for biotics, but he didn't really care at this point. The three of them walked into the CIC of the ship, stopping in about the middle of the room. All fourteen kids were in the room, guns in hand. Miranda looked around, before turning to him. "Could we, perhaps, take this somewhere more private?"

Ethan shook his head as he folded his arms. "Anything you can say to me, you can say to them. They'll probably find out about it anyways once I tell them, so you may as well save me the trouble. Why are you here?"

Lawson let out a sigh, before brushing her hair to one side. "I came to talk. The Illusive Man wished to pass a message along to you, Ethan. He has seen the records from your world-"

He smirked, interrupting her. "You mean the games?"

Miranda bristled, but continued, "Yes. Anyways, he has seen all of the records, and wishes to form an alliance with the Shadow Broker and yourself."

He scoffed, leaning against the galaxy map. "Sure. An alliance. Would that be before, or after, he gets delusions of grandeur and gets himself indoctrinated?"

"The Illusive Man knows now that path will not work. The evidence is there. Cerberus will not follow the same path it may have once been destined to follow. We'll make our own path, and our own decisions."

Ethan still appeared unconvinced. "That doesn't mean I trust the Illusive Man. Especially considering you still had your goons chasing me down back on Earth when I got away from you."

At this, Miranda became visibly confused. "What are you talking about? We never sent any troops after you."

Marie interjected before Ethan could reply, "If you didn't send people after Ethan, then who did?"

A moment later, a gun was heard priming, along with a gasp. Turning, everyone saw doctor Viana, holding Cassyra at gunpoint. The normally calm doctor had a snarl on her face. "You couldn't just die, could you Barrow? You couldn't have just let Saren's men off you in the aircar, and you couldn't have just let me kill you without the damn Shadow Broker having troops everywhere in that building, along with your Quarian pet. Them, and his pet Spectre, Vasir."

Ethan put his hands up, trying to calm the woman. "Viana, I think you need to calm down. You don't know what danger you're putting yourself in right now."

The Asari laughed, "Danger? I knew this was a one-way trip as soon as I stepped foot on this ship."

They could all hear Cassyra as she whispered, "Ethan doesn't mean from them, doctor. He means from me."

"What are you talking about-"

The young Asari spun out of the doctor's grip, faster than the eye could see, pinning her against the wall with inhuman strength. In an almost otherworldly voice, Cassyra spoke, "It's been quite some time since I've been able to feast on a mind, Viana. I resist the urges, until someone like you is dumb enough to threaten our father."

All at once, the courage vanished from the doctor, her eyes going wide, her limbs trembling in fear. "Ardat Yakshi!"

A wicked grin graced Cassyra's features, as she moved to whisper in her ear, "Say goodbye, doctor."

Her eyes turned black, her mind shredding Viana's mind apart. Within moments, it was over, and the doctor dropped to the floor, dead. Cassyra stepped back, her hands shaking. Ethan immediately moved across the room, taking the girl into his arms. She curled in on herself, crying. The other Asari in the room huddled around the group, putting their hands on Cassyra's shoulders and back to support her.

Ethan whispered to her, "You didn't have to do that, Cassyra. We could have found another way to stop her."

The girl shook her head, "B-but she threatened you, father; I couldn't let her hurt you! I just couldn't."

He nodded, pulling her tighter. "Shhh… I know, sweetheart."

Miranda, watching all the while, let out a relieved sigh. "Well then, that was something to see."

Marie turned to her. "You know what an Ardat Yakshi is?"

The Cerberus operative nodded. "Yes, I do. They are Asari that suffer from a genetic defect, which causes them to overpower another being's mind, causing brain hemorrhaging and death, rather than the gentle merging of minds most Asari experience. They are a stigma to the Asari race, and are usually given the choice between seclusion in a monastery or death. The fact that she's here is quite intriguing…"

Ethan turned to her, his eyes hard. "She's one of my family, Miranda. I'll be damned before I let some Asari come and take her away from us. She's never killed an innocent before, so she is no criminal or monster."

With a look of confusion, Miranda asked, "But how did she find out she was an Ardat Yakshi?"

A grim look crossing his features, Ethan rested his head atop of Cassyra's head. "She lashed out with her mind at a Batarian slaver that tried to rape her, just before I saved these kids. It ripped his mind to shreds. As I said, she's never killed an innocent before. This is only the third time she's used her mind like this, and she hates doing it."

Cassyra spoke into Ethan's shirt, her voice muffled. "It makes me feel like a monster, every time I let the desire come out."

Continuing, Ethan supplied, "It's why she usually stays on the ship, as the pilot. The less we put her in a combat role, the less tempted she is to feed. She's never felt the urge to feed on any of our family, which is why I know she's safe here, with us."

Miranda rolled her eyes, obviously not affected by the display in front of her. "At least we know now who sent soldiers after you."

Getting upset, Ethan looked at the woman. "How about you show a little respect, you cold blooded bitch? How would you feel if someone pointed a gun at your sister's head, hm?" He saw the color drain from her face at the thought, and nodded. "That's what I thought."

Shepard took a step forward. "So… what do we do about the body?"

Ethan looked down, and let out a sigh. "Shit. I'm not sure. We've never really had to worry about that before, being out in the Terminus systems."

Miranda spoke up, "I can have it dealt with." She checked her Omni-tool, before continuing, "We can have people here within ten minutes to take the body, and make it disappear."

Eyes narrowing, Ethan regarded the woman. "By disappear, do you mean you're going to take the body to study the after effects of an Ardat Yakshi meld on a mind?"

Lawson smirked ever so slightly. "If the body is gone, what does it matter to you? As you said, she was far from innocent."

As the Cerberus operative began typing, Ethan pulled away from Cassyra, speaking in a quiet voice. "I only ask that you don't mention that one of my daughters is an Ardat Yakshi."

Without looking up from her Omni-tool, she asked, "Why would I do that?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to lift her gaze. "Because even though I knew for years you were the one who tore my life apart, I never did anything to harm your sister to get even, regardless of how tempting an idea it was. I didn't harm your family; all I'm asking is that you don't harm mine."

She stared into his eyes, clearly conflicted. But finally, she nodded, much more subdued. "Alright. I won't mention any Ardat Yakshi. I'm sure we can come across another body for study somewhere else." Stepping over to the body, she pulled out her pistol, and pulling the inhibitor off, lifted the body into a vertical position, then shot the body through the head, a spurt of blood coming out, splattering against the wall. "However, some evidence of struggle would be a good idea."

With that, she dropped the body, put her pistol away, and replaced the inhibitor on her head, turning to face the group. She was surprised to see a small measure of respect from them all, visible in their eyes and faces, a sensation that left her feeling slightly unsettled and uncomfortable. Sensing her discomfort, Ethan spoke up, "Alright, kids. Let's get this mess cleaned up."

* * *

True to her word, three Cerberus operatives came about ten minutes later, and stuffed the body into a storage crate, wheeling it out as soon as they had finished, Miranda following them. No words were exchanged. Cassyra had been taken into the lower deck by the rest of the kids, leaving Shepard and Ethan standing there, along with Garrus and Ashley who had finally come out of the med-bay, and Wrex and Kaidan, who had come back from a run to the Normandy for clean clothing and armor.

As the hatch to the airlock opened, Liara and Tali came aboard the ship. The Asari strolled directly to Ethan, a fire in her eyes as she stepped up to his face. "Where did you take my mother?!"

Holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture, he replied, "I had her taken to a Shadow Broker base to see if we could reverse the effects of indoctrination." Sensing her confusion, he explained, "Saren's ship exerts a level of control over minds; it can slowly indoctrinate people, change who they are. It did that with your mother. She was supposed to die in that lab that day, Liara. I knocked her out so we could try to save her life, and the lives of all her followers. If it doesn't work, I give you my word, you will be given the chance to say farewells to her. I promise you that."

"Why should I believe you?"

Beginning to get impatient, he replied, "If I was just going to kill her, I wouldn't have bothered trying to capture her."

Liara still seemed suspicious of him, but let it drop, stepping back and away from him. Ethan refused to meet Tali's gaze for any reason. Once the idle chatter had stopped, Ethan brought up an image on the holographic projector in the center of the room.

"Your next mission is going to be hitting Virmire. Now, Saren has quite an extensive base there, with a number of Geth and husks, as well as a slew of Krogan." Ethan noticed Wrex perk up at that, but he continued, "He also has a number of anti-air turrets. I'm willing to help commit my support once you're able to knock out those turrets."

With a gesture to Shepard, the woman stepped forward. "We aren't entirely sure on numbers down there, but it's going to be one hell of a fight. But thanks to Ethan and his help from the Shadow Broker, we'll have a much better chance of success. Officially, the only thing we know about Virmire is that a Salarian STG team tried sending out a broadcast on an emergency frequency, but nothing got through. Unofficially, they're stuck at this base behind a jamming frequency, plus the Intel Ethan has given us. Any questions?"

Kaidan spoke up, asking, "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Long enough for us to finish our shore leave, and get the Normandy resupplied. Any other questions?" When no one spoke, Shepard nodded. "Dismissed."

While most of Shepard's squad filed out, save Wrex, who went below decks, Garrus and Ashley waited until the others left. They then approached Ethan and the Commander.

Ethan smirked as they stepped in front of him. "Hello Garrus, Ashley. Can I help you?"

The two of them glanced at each other, before Ashley spoke, "Ethan, I- I mean we, uh, we were wondering-"

Garrus interrupted her, "Did you take any pictures this morning?"

Still smirking, he feigned ignorance. "Pictures? Pictures of what?"

Ashley seemed befuddled, but Garrus was glaring at him, and spoke in a low voice. "You know what."

With a sigh, Ethan relented. "I may have taken a picture of an adorably cute couple snuggled on the floor of the med-bay this morning."

They both visibly winced. Ashley asked, "You're not going to do anything with that picture… right?"

With a raised brow, he asked them, "Neither of you heard anything this morning, outside the door of the med-bay, did you? No yelling, no gunfire, or anything of the like. Correct?"

He could tell they were a bit confused, and probably didn't hear anything important about Cassyra, but Ethan didn't want to take any chances. "No, we didn't hear anything."

He smiled at them. "Good. Then that picture will remain one of many secrets, never to see the light of day." Before either of them could say anything, he asked, "Was that because you two were drunk? Or did something happen…?"

The Human and Turian gave each other a look, before both looking somewhat embarrassed. Ashley explained, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, we were sparring the other day, right after Noveria. Tensions were pretty high across the entire ship. At some point, this big lug had me pinned to the floor-"

Garrus let out a groan, cutting her off. "Please don't finish that statement."

Ethan smirked. "It got a little more heated than just sparring?"

Ashley's face turned bright red. "Y-you could say that."

"Williams, I have a piece of advice for you. Maybe you'll need it, maybe you won't. Either way, I'm giving it to you. If you blow off steam with Garrus, or take things further, beware of chafing. That's all I'm going to say on the matter." With that, he turned around and walked away, not seeing the shocked looks on the faces of Garrus Vakarian and Ashley Williams.

Stepping up to Shepard, he couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. "Did you really have to put them through that?"

He shrugged, "Not really. But it was a lot of fun." Putting his arm over her shoulder, he asked, "Say, want to go shopping?"

She scrunched up her nose. "Shopping? For what?"

"Oh, I don't know… guns, armor, ships, that sort of thing?"

Stopping, the Spectre turned and gave him a funny look. "Ships?"

He shrugged again. "Yeah, sure. Why not? We've got a full day to kill, and with what the Shadow Broker pays me, I have a shit ton of money I've never had much use for. Besides, I like fixing things for fun; why fix little things like guns, when I could fix something bigger, like a ship?"

Marie just laughed, shaking her head as she took his hand and began pulling him towards the airlock. "You have an interesting definition of 'fun,' Ethan."

He nodded, smirking. "Yep, I knew that already."

As they walked out of the ship and onto the dock, Shepard looked at him again. "Ethan, exactly what were you thinking of looking at, when you mentioned a ship?"

"No idea. I'll figure something out if I see one I like, though."

* * *

A half an hour later, their aircar lowered down in the Zakera ward, the two of them stepping out into the bustling crowd. Glancing around, Ethan took Shepard's hand, and began walking. "There's a few different stores in this section of the ward, but I think the ship dealer is the closest."

Shepard leaned closer to him, asking, "Why not go talk to the- uh, your employer about one?"

Ethan shook his head. "Nah, he already provides me with stuff I need for missions. That's why I have the corvette. I considered getting my own ship for a while, using the money I've accumulated over the years."

"How much would that be?"

He smirked, glancing at her while they walked. "Think about it Marie, how much money do you usually make in a good haul of a pirate base, just one base, that takes you less than a day to take out?"

Considering, she replied, "Probably between ten and twenty thousand credits, depending on how large."

"Exactly. Now imagine hitting large pirate bases, over and over again, getting big hauls, and in some cases, getting their ships and selling them after the fact, for the better part of a decade, on top of a salary from my employer." He slowed his pace, doing a bit of thinking, before leaning close and whispering, "Lets just say that the number is more than seven digits long."

Her eyes snapped to him, wide and disbelieving. "You're shitting me!"

He shook his head, still grinning. "Nope. Think about it. All my supplies are provided by my boss; food, weapons, gear. Plus he gave me one of his ships, that corvette. Not exactly cheap, by the way. So rather than ask him for a bigger ship, I'd rather buy a used one, and outfit it myself, just to say I did."

She shook her head, still in shock. "Damn." After a moment, she turned back to him. "Have you spent _any_ of the money you've accumulated?"

He nodded, "Of course. A few years ago, the kids were nagging me that we had a ship, but nowhere to go between missions. So I scoured the Broker's database, found an old biodome recorded in a system out in the ass end of nowhere, took a couple of freighters worth of supplies, and fixed it right up. The best part, it was Prothean originally, so it was pretty well built. Replaced the power supply, put some plants in the biodome section, and turned the internal part into a livable space, about the size of a three floor house, with enough bedrooms for everyone. The hangar was just big enough for the corvette, so I didn't have to worry about that."

"How much did that cost?"

He smirked at that. "Only about a hundred and fifty thousand credits. All we had to add was a lot of furniture, some plants, some food supplies, and a few spare parts here and there. All really cheap when you know who to talk to."

With a twinkle in her eye, she pulled him close and whispered into his ear, "I hope you have a room for yourself. With a nice, _large_, bed."

She smirked as she walked away from him, leaving him standing there, his mind wandering to many different places. He swore, smiling as he caught up with her. "You are an evil woman, Commander Shepard."

She gave him a pointed look. "I resemble that remark."

"That's my line!" Still smiling, he gave her a nudge away from the used ship dealer. "Go look at armor or guns or something. I won't be long."

Stepping into the store, his grin faded, the real reason for his shopping for ships jumping to mind. He pushed those thoughts back as he stepped up to the clerk. "Good morning, sir! Might I interest you in a used ship? Each one has it's own guarantee, or your money back!"

He smiled at the clerk. "Yes, actually, I'm interested in some of your… bigger ships."

The Volus looked at him for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, of course. Were you thinking of a freighter?"

Ethan shook his head. "Bigger."

The Volus seemed confused for a moment. "Err… bigger?"

Leaning down closer to the Volus, he spoke in a quiet voice. "I'm in the market for used military ships. Doesn't matter how old, so long as they still fly, and they still shoot. Preferably straight. I have good information from our mutual benefactor that you carry a few items of interest."

The Volus nodded in understanding, walking out from behind the counter. "Yes, this way. I think you'll be interested in our special catalogue. We keep it stored in the back room, here." As soon as they were both in the room, and the door slid closed behind him, the Volus asked, "Is this a mission for the Shadow Broker?"

"No, this is personal. I'm willing to pay out of pocket on this one."

"Identi-card?"

He held out his Omni-tool. "Agent Ethan Barrow."

The Volus nodded. "Yes, you check out. You're in luck; the Both the Turian Hierarchy and the Systems Alliance are clearing out a handful of ships from their mothball fleet to make room. What are you looking for?" With a smirk, he showed the Volus his list. "Yes… I think I can arrange that."

* * *

A/N: What's Ethan need military ships for? Who knows? Maybe I do; but I'm not telling. Yet…


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Including this chapter, in eight days, I have typed almost fifty thousand words for this story. The thought alone makes my hands want to curl up in pain. Amazing what happens when you decide to take a binge away from xbox for a few days…

For the record, yes, I know the line commonly used is supposed to be "I resent that remark." However, my personal joke I use quite frequently with my friends is "I resemble that remark." It's my joke, and I'm sticking to it.

* * *

Mass Effect: Phoenix Rising

Chapter 16

Ethan let out a sigh as the corvette moved away from the Normandy, the larger ship moving to drop the Mako down on the ground. He watched the frigate shrink down to a speck, before disappearing altogether. Turning, he saw one of the Geth hunters, standing next to him, also looking down at the planet.

"Geth, will we be able to take the ship down there, without being shot down?"

The hunter acknowledged him. "_Affirmative. The rest of the Geth will monitor our location through these platforms, allowing us to enter the atmosphere with minimal risk._"

"Good. Please keep me upraised of her progress. I want to know when she gets close to the Salarian camp, so we know when to go down there."

"_Affirmative._"

Stepping forward, he put his hand on Cassyra's shoulder. "Hey, are you doing ok?"

The Asari nodded, her eyes forward. "Yes, sir."

Gripping her shoulder, she turned to look at him, only to see the pointed look he was giving her. "I'm not asking as your commanding officer, Cassyra. I'm asking as your friend."

The girl gave him a tentative smile. "You mean as my father?"

He let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Why is it you kids all insist on calling me that?"

Placing her hand over top of his, she replied, earnestly, "Because to us, you are our father, Ethan. You could have just dumped us all in an orphanage somewhere after you rescued us, but you didn't. You personally stayed with us, trained us, and made us appreciate ourselves and each other. We may all still remember our birth parents, but after you rescued us, you became our father, and we all became a family." After a moment, Cassyra smirked, a mischievous glint appearing in her eye. "So, when is Shepard going to become our new mother?"

Ethan gaped at the girl, who was grinning quite impishly at him. "W-what did you just say?!"

Turning back to her controls, Cassyra just shrugged. "Oh, nothing."

Hearing snickering coming from the CIC, Ethan turned around, shooting a glare at the rest of the kids, who quickly turned their gaze away from him. "Cassyra, please tell me you aren't all plotting something…"

The Asari's tone became far too lofty and innocent when she answered. "Of course not. We would never try to plot something behind your back."

Smirking, he shook his head. "Liar." With that, he moved into the CIC, seeing the kids manning some of the different terminals, checking sensors and other equipment. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw Sagran and Irikia both taking paint to the Geth chassis in the back of the room. "What're you doing to those Geth?"

The two Turians turned, but didn't stop. Sagran was the one who replied, "We're making sure we can tell these Geth apart from the standard ones. We'll make sure that Shepard's squad know not to shoot these ones."

"So you're… painting them?"

The male Turian just smirked, his mandibles twitching in amusement. "Naturally. How better to quickly identify a friendly Geth than by painting a few bright colors onto it?"

Looking at their handiwork, Ethan had to admit they had at least done a relatively tasteful job, bonding the green paint into patterns that matched the natural flow of the Geth's chassis. They also weren't overdoing it with the paint, just putting enough on to be noticeable at a glance. With a nod, he acquiesced, "Ok. Make sure you get the third platform while you're at it. I don't think we'll take all three groundside down there, if any of them, but while you're doing it you may as well get them all."

They both nodded, so he went ahead and moved to the galaxy map, bringing up a holographic image of Saren's facility, and the surrounding area. He could see the Geth had conveniently placed a marker as to Shepard's approximate location, the Mako clearly making good time towards the base. Zooming in on the facility itself, he focused on two areas in specific; the two areas where Kaidan and Ashley would be, when Shepard would make the choice between one or the other.

His focus was on the screen for a short while, until he heard someone clearing their throat. Glancing over, he saw Galec, Drax, and Michael, the three soldiers of the group, fully armed and armored. Smirking, he turned to face them. "I take it you three want to get in your share of shooting something?"

The two Krogan nodded, smirking, while Michael just nodded. Drax spoke up, "We know it's your call, but we want to kill something." He grimaced slightly, before adding, "Besides, I've started getting this itch under my plates, and it's driving me nuts."

Ethan's smile turned to a frown. "I know what that is, Drax. It means we need to take you to the Krogan homeworld, Tuchanka, relatively soon. Do you think you can deal with it for a week or so?"

Drax nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. My duty is to my family first, myself second."

Ethan smiled again as he came down from the platform, rubbing the Krogan's crest, just enough to push his head slightly. "You're a good kid, Drax. If it makes you feel any better, I was planning on bringing you three with me, anyways." He paused, before adding, "Actually, have Belask and Alanya come as well. We may need their tech skills."

They nodded, and turned to fetch the other two. With a sigh, Ethan moved to his quarters, intent on changing into his armor. Stepping into his quarters, he moved to his equipment locker. Opening it, he was quick to outfit his heavy armor. He had two sets of armor from the Shadow Broker; one for infiltration, and a second set for when he needed to blow things up. His heavy armor was designed with the latter in mind.

It had extra shield capacitors, and pouches to hold grenades and any other destructive goodies he decided on hauling. He smiled, as he picked up the death mask. While not entirely necessary, he enjoyed the impression it usually left on others, masking his face from his enemies, giving him an intimidation factor.

He opened a high shelf mounted in the ceiling, and pulled out his heavy hitting guns; an M-37 Falcon grenade launcher, the N7 Crusader shotgun, the highly experimental Black Widow sniper rifle, and a Geth Plasma SMG. It was a far heavier load than he usually carried, but the last thing he wanted was to get stuck down on Virmire without having enough firepower to handle whatever was thrown their way.

Stepping out of his quarters, he was surprised to find one of the Geth platforms standing right outside the door, waiting for him.

"_Commander Shepard is near the Salarian camp. With the anti-air emplacements powered down, our cover for landing will be intact._"

Ethan nodded, "Good. Inform Cassyra to land."

"_She has already been notified._"

Nodding again, Ethan walked down the small spiral staircase, grunting when his shoulder pads occasionally bumped into the wall. Finally, he made it to the lower level, seeing all three Krogan ready to move out, along with Michael and Alanya. Bringing up his Omni-tool, he keyed in a command. A moment later, the floor between the stairs and the mess hall table retracted away, as did the outer hull. A ramp segment began lowering and extending, moving out past the hull long enough for the ramp to not be too steep to walk down. He was quite proud of the design; a ramp that would extend past the width of the hull itself, retracting just enough to fit inside a special compartment when closed.

He could see a number of the Salarians in the STG squad were openly staring at him and his kids, but he didn't care. They were all hidden with their helmets, so he didn't feel particularly concerned about being identified by them. He smirked as he saw Shepard was already talking with Captain Kirrahe. Without pausing, he moved to stand right next to the Commander.

He gave them both a nod. "Commander Shepard, Captain Kirrahe."

The Salarian was clearly surprised at being so easily identified. "Who are you?"

"An Agent for the Shadow Broker. He is aware of the threat Saren poses, and is lending support for his operation."

The Salarian's eyes shifted rapidly while he considered. After a moment, the Salarian smirked. "You must be Agent Barrow. Our dossiers on known Broker Agents are limited, but only one Agent we know of travels with so many Krogan. A pleasure to finally meet you."

Ethan was thrown off guard by the pleasant statement, but nodded. "Likewise."

"From what we've heard about you and your squad's abilities in combat, I find myself more confident in our chances of success."

The Commander spoke up, "So, what's our plan of action?"

Shaking his head, Kirrahe replied, "We're still working on that, but we should have a plan within a few minutes. If you'll be patient, we'll get back to you."

The Salarian moved away to talk to his subordinates, leaving the rest of them standing there. Turning to Shepard, Ethan smirked behind his helmet. "So, did he already mention the Genophage cure?"

She nodded. "Yes, I had expected more problems from Wrex, but he was quiet the whole time." She narrowed her eyes at him, before asking, "I have a suspicion that you have something to do with that."

Grateful for the helmet to hide his grin, he folded his arms, shrugging. "I wouldn't know."

She shook her head, stepping closer to whisper, "You're full of shit Ethan. I can still tell when you're lying, even with that mask on."

Glancing around to make sure none of the Salarians were standing nearby, he whispered, "Look, I'll tell you about it later. Right now, can you just trust me?"

She smiled as she nudged his shoulder. "I do trust you, Ethan. I just want you to be able to trust me."

He led her over towards the shore, replying, "I trust you as well, Marie; but there are some things I can't tell you yet, to keep from altering the timeline too much."

The Commander nodded, her expression sobering. "I know that. But I know you'll be there with me to point me in the right direction."

Before either of them could say anything more, one of the Salarians walked over to them. "Excuse me, but the rumor going around the camp is that you're Agent Barrow, from the Shadow Broker. Is that true?"

Glancing at Shepard, he nodded. "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

The young Salarian got a wide grin on his face. "I just wanted to say it is an honor meeting you; I did a dissertation on the effectiveness of your design of the corvette class ship as an infiltration vessel. It's what fast tracked my induction into the Task Group forces."

Quite amused, Ethan asked, "I take it the STG was responsible for finding out I was responsible for that ship design?"

The Salarian nodded eagerly. "Oh yes! We traded a large cache of Intel with the Shadow Broker for the ship design about two years ago. We haven't figured out how to replicate the cold fusion technology yet, but we modified our own element zero reactors to compensate-"

Placing a hand on the alien's shoulder, Ethan asked, "Kid, what's your name?"

Standing up straighter, he replied, "Pazzik, sir!"

Nodding, he continued, "Pazzik, how about this; since you seem so excited about this, after this mission, I'll talk to my boss. I'll see if he's interested in an outreach program, to increase good relations between our operations. If he is, I'll see about getting you a short-term assignment to my ship. How does that sound?"

Pazzik looked as though he were about to spit his face apart with his huge smile. "Really?!"

He nodded, "Really. Now, I know this mission is going to be difficult, but you just keep your head down, and make sure you make it through this in one piece, and in just a few short weeks, you could be riding inside one of the most advanced infiltration vessels in the galaxy. Now, we have got a few more mission details to work out, so you go on ahead and inform your superiors to the proposition. Ok?"

He nodded, still smiling. "Yes, sir!"

As the Salarian took off running, he heard Shepard trying and failing to stifle her laughter. Turning, he saw her smiling. "That was so adorable it was almost pathetic."

Ethan's humor disappeared, as he looked back out over the water. "There's a pretty good chance a lot of them won't live through this mission, Marie. With Saren here, and Sovereign nearby, the Geth can't pull their punches like they have done for you guys. Even with myself here with my kids, the odds are not good. Even if that kid doesn't make it, I can know I at least gave him something to hope for, before the end."

She placed her hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Ethan. We'll all make it through this."

He smiled sadly beneath his helmet. "Yeah."

* * *

Shaking his head, Ethan watched the three Salarian teams split up; Aegohr, Jaeto, and Mannovai. His group had been given the codename Falcon by Kirrahe, the Salarian smirking as he informed them of it. He knew it was because of the Falcon grenade launcher he had on his back, the STG Captain merely using it as an excuse to show off his knowledge of an experimental Human weapon. Opening up a comm. line to Shepard, he spoke, "You there, Shepard?"

She replied almost immediately. "_I'm here, Ethan. Go ahead._"

"Watch out for anything you can use to disrupt the Geth while they're attacking us. Fuel depots, communication arrays, anything."

There was a short pause, before she spoke again. "_I got it, Ethan. You guys just take care of yourselves._"

He could hear the undertones of concern and annoyance. Shepard hadn't exactly been thrilled when he had thrown in his lot with the Salarians, opting to add their support to the distraction team. He knew she was worried, but he wasn't that concerned; he had packed heavy for a reason, after all.

"Don't worry about us, Commander. Worry about yourselves. We'll contact you soon." Switching channels, he called the ship. "Cassyra, you there?"

"_Here. What do you need?_"

"Tell the Geth that we're with the Salarians. We're in the center of the formation, so have them focus on us. I'd like minimize Salarian casualties if we can."

"_I'll tell it, but I'm not sure if the Geth will listen. They still seem pretty adamant about not putting you in unnecessary danger._"

Ethan resisted the urge to sigh. "Tell them anyways."

"_Copy that._"

"_This is Mannovai, to Falcon. We're ready to proceed._"

Pulling his gun up, Ethan replied, "Falcon here. All teams move forward."

As a group, they moved forward, with Drax and Galec in the front, Ethan and Belask taking up either flank, and Michael and Alanya bringing up the rear. They moved slowly, their feet treading through a shallow bay of water, large boulders scattered around at various intervals. Looking around, Ethan brought his gun up, just knowing that this looked like a likely spot for an attack, what with all the chest high cover around.

Sure enough, gunfire began peppering their location, causing them all to duck down behind rocks. Bringing his black widow sniper rifle up, Ethan was quick to begin searching for targets, activating his disruptor rounds while he was at it. It didn't take him long to sight in the first Geth; a destroyer, trying to cover ground to open up with its flamethrower. He smirked, as he squeezed the trigger, the massive gun blasting the destroyer's head clean off.

Keying his comm. unit, he called out, "Falcon has encountered Geth resistance. We could use some cover fire, guys!"

"_Mannovai here, moving up on your right flank._"

"_Aegohr taking the left flank._"

"_Jaeto, standing by to reinforce._"

"Shepard, if you can figure out some way to help disrupt their communications, it would be much appreciated!"

There was a slight pause, before the Spectre responded. "_I'll see what we can do, Ethan. Just hang tight._"

As a bullet pinged off the rock a few inches from his head, he rolled his eyes. "Trust me, that's about all I can do at the moment."

Leaning the widow against the rock, Ethan pulled out the Falcon, and began peppering the Geth's cover with the tiny explosives, the concussion knocking a few of them out into the open. He smirked when he saw Alanya use her biotics, lifting a Geth high into the air. Within moments, gunfire from either of their flanks turned the floating Geth into scrap metal. Before he could really enjoy the sight, he was forced to duck down by bullets peppering his position.

Leaning against the rock, he turned to his right, only to see Alanya looking at him. He smirked. "I wish we had a Cain nuke launcher."

The Asari swatted his shoulder playfully. "You told us they haven't invented it yet."

Sighing wistfully, he nodded, gripping his grenade launcher tighter as he prepared to fire it. "I know. It's almost enough to make a grown man cry." With that, he launched himself out of cover, and began advancing on the Geth, spitting out grenades in the same general direction he was running, forcing the Geth into cover. He slammed into a rock for cover, turning, just in time to see Drax and Galec catching up to him, then running past him. Belask wasn't far behind, the female Krogan smirking as she followed the two males.

Rolling his eyes, he got back out of cover, muttering, "I guess we're still advancing."

* * *

After a solid half hour of leap frogging across the native terrain, they finally managed to reach the anti-air emplacement they were assigned to hit. While they had managed to distract much of the Geth, they had pushed even further than they had thought possible, getting inside the facility before Shadow team had even finished infiltrating the base.

"This is Falcon, Shepard, you copy?"

"_We're still here, Ethan. What's your status?_"

He smirked, pausing to watch his squad reinforce a set of barricades around the edge of the tower. "We're at the anti-air tower, just like planned. Only one casualty so far, one of the Salarians. A few minor scrapes otherwise. Have you made it to Saren's chambers?"

"_We're moving up the elevator now._"

"Roger. We'll hold here until you send word."

"_Copy that._"

Lowering his hand, he moved over to the barricade, seeing Captain Kirrahe sitting there. Looking down at the man, he smirked. "Tired, Captain?"

The Salarian gave him a weary smile. "Quite. I must say, a frontal assault is not the usual operations for the Task Group. That we've made it so far with so few casualties is nearly a miracle. I only hope our luck holds out."

Ethan looked up, at the surrounding area. He nodded absently. "Yeah, me too."

He wasn't entirely sure what to think; he knew that at some point, Shepard was supposed to make a choice between the Salarians at the AA tower, or the one crewmember at the bomb site, sacrificing someone. He wasn't entirely sure how this was going to play out.

Everyone's head was on a swivel, watching and waiting. However, the more they waited, the longer it seemed to be, without seeing a single hostile. The waiting made Ethan nervous. He knew they were supposed to be getting attacked at some point. He was really starting to regret coming with the Salarian team, not knowing what was supposed to happen from this side of the battle.

Finally, getting impatient, he keyed his comm. unit again. "Falcon to Shadow, progress update?"

There was no response.

"Shadow team, this is Falcon team, please respond."

Silence was the only greeting he received.

Shaking his head, he stood up from cover, prepping his Falcon. "Kirrahe, I'm going to go out there a little ways, see if there's something jamming the signal nearby. If I don't see anything within the first few hundred feet, I'll be back. Understood?"

The Salarian was hesitant. "Are you sure that's wise? To go out there alone-"

"I'll be fine, Captain. Besides, if we can't get a signal from Shadow team, we may be sitting here waiting for our own deaths. I'd rather get a little more recon in and figure out what's going on than sit here and do absolutely nothing. I won't go far."

Eventually, Kirrahe nodded. "I can't very well stop you. We'll cover you as best we can."

Slowly, Ethan moved out of cover, walking by himself out into the open. He didn't see or hear anything, though he kept his gun at the ready, and his sensors on full tilt. He walked down a winding ramp, and part way down a long, narrow path. After a few moments, his comm. unit activated.

"_Barrow Agent, we are currently jamming communication signals. We predicted a 93 percent chance you would come out to investigate alone._"

Not showing anything outward, to keep the Salarians from suspecting anything, he spoke out in response, "What for?"

"_This vial has a sample of the Genophage cure. With it, is an OSD that contains the genetic makeup of the cure, as well, in case the sample becomes contaminated._"

Glancing down, he saw a vial and an OSD stick appear in front of him, and caught a glimpse of a hunter platform's hand flicker in and out. He smirked to himself, before answering, "Good job, Geth. Now, how about you drop that jamming signal, and put a couple Geth at the end of the walkway, so I have a reason to take cover and pick those two things up?"

"_Affirmative._"

As asked, a pair of Geth troopers appeared at the end of the walkway, giving him just the excuse he needed. Dropping down, he scooped up the vial and memory stick in one motion, putting them into one of his storage pockets, before picking up his gun and firing. Reconnecting his comm. line with the rest of the group, he practically yelled out, "Contact!"

He fired a few rounds, before jumping backwards, sprinting back for the AA tower. He managed to dive behind cover, just as bullets began impacting against their cover.

"This is Falcon to Shadow, come in Shadow team!"

"_This is Shadow; Ethan, what's wrong?_"

He breathed a sigh of relief at hearing her voice. "We're under heavy attack by the Geth. We could use some support."

"_Copy that, Ethan. We'll be there shortly._"

As she disconnected the line, Ethan looked to the skies, watching for the Geth drop ship he knew would be swooping down any moment, heading for the bomb site. Looking up, however, he also noticed the rather large anti-aircraft gun above and behind them. Staring at it, he called out, "Hey Alanya, Belask, you two think you could reprogram that AA gun, keep any Geth air support away?"

The Asari was the first to reply, "Sure. Just give us a minute to re-hack the controls."

He nodded absently. "Sure. Just make it quick."

He mentally berated himself for never considering it before. Here they were, guarding an AA turret they had already hacked into to deactivate. Why he had never thought to just reprogram it to blow up the drop ship before it dumped troopers all over the bomb site was beyond him. He smirked, quite satisfied with himself for figuring out an easy solution.

Though the Geth fought to push through their line, they managed to hold, keeping them at bay. As they did so, the AA gun began firing at a ship in the distance, driving it away before it could get close enough to deploy reinforcements. It didn't take too long before the Geth began firing at something behind them. That something quickly turned out to be Shepard, flanked by Garrus and Wrex. The Geth were quickly overwhelmed, having their cover negated by the two-pronged attack. In seconds, the Geth were annihilated.

Just as the last Geth dropped, a strange humming noise could be heard. From around a corner, Saren appeared, flying through the air on some kind of hovering platform. The Turian immediately began throwing his biotics around, towards Ethan and the Salarians, keeping them pinned.

"I'm impressed, Shepard. The Geth were convinced the Salarians were the real threat."

Ethan snickered under his breath, thinking to himself, 'If only the poor sod really knew…'

Ignoring the rest of Saren's rant, Ethan quietly pulled out his black widow sniper rifle, and began sighting in on the Turian, keeping the crosshairs on his head. He let himself calm, all other sounds and sights fading away to nothing, as he sighted in the shot. As soon as he saw Saren begin to tense, focusing his biotics to attack Shepard, he took the shot.

Though it knocked the Turian off his platform, the shot didn't penetrate his barriers, leaving Ethan to stand there, cursing. Snarling, Saren continued towards Shepard, grabbing the woman. As he threw the Commander into a wall, a thought crossed his mind, causing Ethan to pale in sick realization.

By stopping the Geth drop ship, the bomb had yet to be activated. Without the bomb being active, the facility alarm wouldn't be turned on, which meant no siren to distract Saren enough to give Shepard a chance to go on the offensive.

Dropping his gun, Ethan jumped over the barricade, and began running towards the former Spectre. As though in slow motion, he saw Saren pull out a rather large pistol, the boxy shape unfolding into a rather wicked shape. He was pointing it at the Commander, his finger tightening on the trigger.

He yelled out, hoping to distract the Turian. "Hey bareface!"

Saren's head turned, just in time for his eyes to widen as Ethan slammed into the Turian, tackling him to the ground. Seeing he was dazed, he began punching Saren's face repeatedly, trying to keep his advantage. Unfortunately, with a snarl, he used his biotics to knock him off, the force knocking his helmet off, skidding away a few feet.

Jumping up to his feet, he saw Saren slowly stand, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Saren seemed to recognize him, his eyes narrowing in rage. "You!"

Ethan smirked. "Yeah, Saren. Me. I have to ask, how does it feel, having Nazara digging through your mind, hm?"

Saren's eyes widened, clearly shocked and confused. "How do you know its name?"

His smirk fading, he supplied, "The same way I knew how to find all that evidence so quickly, Saren. I already knew where to find it. Just like I know where the Reapers come from." He eased his combat stance slightly. "They're not infinite, Saren. They're not all knowing, they're not all powerful, and there is a way to stop them."

The Turian's eyes grew wide, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, there is no way to stop them! They are too powerful!"

An alarm began blaring through the facility. Ethan looked up, figuring whoever was at the bomb site must have finally activated it. With a sigh, he turned back to Saren. "No, they aren't. But you're too far gone to see that." He watched Saren call back his hover platform, but spoke as he stepped onto it. "Have fun with the implants Sovereign is going to stick into you to _'strengthen your resolve,'_ as it'll call it."

Saren didn't even acknowledge him at all, but flew off, likely heading for a ship. He turned at the sound of footsteps, only to smirk, seeing Ashley and Kaidan both running up, the former speaking up. "When we didn't hear anything from you guys, we set the bomb and took off to catch up with you."

Shepard was quick to regain control of the situation. "Nice timing. Joker, we need pickup!"

Ethan activated his own comm. unit. "Cassyra, if you aren't already within a click of this place, just head for orbit. We'll catch a ride on the Normandy."

"_Copy that. We're too far out, so we'll pick you up in orbit._"

He turned around, just as the Normandy lowered to the ground, the hangar door opening to let them in. Everyone, from Shepard's squad, to Ethan's squad, to nearly the entire STG unit, piled into the frigate. As soon as everyone had set foot inside, the ship began taking off, quickly turning and lifting off into the skies.

As soon as the door closed, Ethan turned, only to have Shepard wrap her arms around him, hugging him. "We did it!"

He reciprocated the gesture, putting his arms around her. He shook his head, glancing over at Kaidan and Ashley both joking with one another, as well as the other members of Shepard's ground team. "Yeah, I guess we did."

The Commander pulled away after a moment, a confused look on her face. "Why don't you sound happier about that?"

He let out a sigh, before gesturing with his head for her to follow her. Stepping behind the Mako, Ethan turned back to her. "Shepard… Marie… you weren't supposed to come back with everyone."

Her confused look only got worse. "What is that supposed to mean?"

With a sigh, he continued in a quiet voice. "Marie, that anti-air turret wasn't supposed to drive that drop ship away. It was supposed to drop a full contingent of troops on that bomb site. You were supposed to have to pick between either Ashley or Kaidan for one to survive, and one to die. That's why I had to intervene with Saren. The facility alarm was supposed to distract him before he could throw you and try to shoot you point blank." A pained look crossed Ethan's face. "My changing something to save someone's life nearly cost you your life."

Marie put her hand to his cheek. Her eyes were filled with compassion. "You don't have to worry about it. You saved me, and you saved both of them. That's what matters now. Not the what ifs, or should have beens, or even the almost happeneds."

He nodded, leaning down to press his forehead to hers. "Thank you."

She smiled, looking him in the eye. "Don't mention it. Now, we'll need to head to the Citadel-"

Ethan cut her off. "No, don't even bother."

"What?"

He continued. "Don't go to the Citadel. The Council will ground your ship, and force you to have to steal the Normandy to stop Saren. Just skip the Citadel altogether, and go to Ilos."

The Commander's brow furrowed. "Ilos?"

He smirked. "Liara will know. Anyways, my kids and I will jump back over to my ship. We'll take the Salarians with us, and head back to the Citadel. We'll make sure we're ready for when you come back. Got it?"

She nodded, smiling up at him. "Why do I feel like you have some kind of plan you aren't telling me about?"

His smirk just grew. "Because I do. Don't worry, it will be fun."

She gave him a stern look. "Sure; that's what scares me."

They shared a laugh, before kissing, washing away the stress of the mission to a private moment, just for the two of them. He pressed his head to hers again, before whispering, "I'll see you in a day or so, Commander Shepard."

"I'll hold you to that, Agent Barrow."

* * *

A/N: Well, Virmire worked out.

When I thought about it, I felt like the biggest idiot in the galaxy; why, exactly, has no one ever considered just reprogramming the AA turret to shoot down the Geth drop ship? I mean, the Salarians and squad mate all basically squat at this big, gigantic, anti-aircraft gun big enough to blow big holes in the Normandy. Why not turn it on the Geth drop ship? No drop ship, no Geth platoon hitting the bomb site, no premature detonation. No premature boom, full evac, and no dead squaddie. Eh, oh well.


End file.
